Fellow Spirits
by thepiraticalconductor
Summary: My mouth fell open in horror. This wasn’t right; I wasn’t supposed to get a room in this place, or a spot on the guard. They were supposed to have ripped me to shreds by now! WHERE WAS THE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD! A quiet laugh sounded in the darkness.
1. Italy

**HELLO AGAIN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I TOLD YOU I HAD ANOTHER STORY UP MY SLEEVE, AND HERE IT IS. OR RATHER HERE _HE _IS. **

**ORIGINS: THIS STORY WAS BORN OF PURE CHANCE. I WAS WATCHING THE VIDEO FOR MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE'S SONG 'HELENA' AND I NOTICED HOW GERARD WAY LOOKED IN THE BEGINNNING. I THOUGHT HE LOOKED LIKE A VAMPIRE "HMMMM, WHAT WOULD HIS NAME BE?" I THOUGHT. BAM! ANDREW RAVENWOOD WAS BORN. I ALWAYS MAKE UP CHARACTERS FOR ALREADY EXISTING STORIES, BUT I'VE NEVER COME UP WITH A MALE CHARACTER. I BEGAN THINKING OF A BACK STORY FOR MY ANDREW, AND THEN EDWARD DECIDED TO JOIN THE PARTY IN THE PAST. (THIS WILL BE DESCRIBED IN GREAT DETAIL LATER) ANDY WOULDN'T SHUT UP, AND DEMANDED THAT HIS STORY BE TOLD. HERE IT IS.**

**DISCLAIMER; I OWN NOTHING TO DO WITH TWILIGHT INCLUDING : EDWARD -TEAR-, THE VOLTORI, TEA PARTIES, GIANNA, OR CARLISLE. BUT KEEP YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF ANDY, HE IS MINE! **

_EPOV_

_You idiot,_ my subconscious screamed at me. _You just had to do it didn't you! You just had to tick off the Vultori, and get thrown down here!_ Oh, shut up, I answered. All things considered, this was not my fault. I had assumed that they would just kill me and get it over with, but _no_, Aro had to go and step in. Stupid old vampire. He never destroyed anything that could be used for his own devices. The words that he had said to me still danced around my head, replaying over and over again.

"_Ah, young Edward, this is a surprise. Is Carlisle with you? I do miss him."_

"_All due respect, but cut the sympathy my lord Aro. We caught him trying to feed in the city, and we brought him here so you could pass judgment, no invite him to a tea party." _Felix, that lummox, had been the one to turn him in to Marcus, Caius, and Aro. Aro's face had fallen slightly at his words.

"_Well, that does change the circumstances, doesn't it Edward? But, why on earth would you do such a thing? You know that the punishment for feeding in our city is death. Are you so eager for it that you would try to force our hand?" _Aro's eyebrows had knitted together in concentration, trying to decipher my motivations. He gave up quickly and motioned for Felix to release one of my hands. I had not struggled, much to Felix's disappointment. I didn't care if Aro knew. He wouldn't understand anyway. Aro skin felt like worn paper next to my own. His eyes widened, like a child's would if he had entered the world's largest candy store. Then, suddenly, his eyes softened, and I could tell what he was seeing: her, my Bella. The hole in my chest threatened to engulf me again as I thought of her. My dear, sweet angel, lost from me forever. I had killed her as surely as if I had put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger myself.

'_My, my, you have been busy since Carlisle and I have talked. Tell me, how do you do it?"_

"_I beg your pardon?" _I spat.

"_That girl, Isabella, I believe? Forgive me, but she smells simply luscious! How can you deny yourself that?"_

"_Perhaps she means more to me than just a snack. But then again, you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you Aro?"_

"_But, she's so ORDINARY!" _Aro said, not meaning to be offensive. He was a simple minded old man. The confusion that was plastered over his face disappeared, however, and gave way to calm. _"But, yes, you are right. I don't know much about that subject at all."_ He sighed softly, but then his face lit up for a reason that I couldn't fathom. He was quick to announce the reason for his glee. _"Well, well, well, that's quite a talent you have there, Edward. To see people's minds at will! That's a skill most people would kill for!" _He turned to the other heads of Volterra. They nodded in agreement to Aro unspoken question. He then looked at me like a jockey would at a prize-winning horse. I was merely an object; a shiny bauble that Aro wanted to add to his extensive collection.

"_Not a chance."_

"_But, Edward, think of all the good you can do here! Here where people would appreciate you, would love you."_ My eyes flickered to Aro's and he must have seen the anger that was present, because he let out a sigh soon after.

"_Oh, well. Felix, throw him in 256 until he's more willing to negotiate."_ My mouth fell open in horror. This wasn't right; I wasn't supposed to get a room in this place, or a spot on the guard. They were supposed to have ripped me to shreds by now! WHERE WAS THE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD!

A quite laugh sounded in the darkness, snapping me out of my memories.

"Tell me about it, man." the low voice whispered. I must have said my last thought out loud. Either that or I wasn't the only mind reader around here.

"Who are you?" I demanded of the darkness, feeling very foolish indeed.

"All in good time, my friend. Before I answer that question, I must know: why are you here, in my room?"

"Your…?" I was astonished. They had sent me to an occupied cell, probably to be tortured, or worse.

"Ah, you must be the boy they caught in the city. Gianna told me this afternoon that they were thinking of sending you down here to keep me company." The voice chuckled at this last sentiment. "Oh, and don't bother trying to read my thoughts, I inhibit powers. That's why Aro keeps me down here; that man never threw away anything that he could use. I expect that's why you are still breathing in and out."

"Yes," I stammered, still feeling foolish. I could smell my companion now. He smelled like a vampire, and yet there was a distinct trace of human there, as if he couldn't make up his mind. "But, you still haven't answered my question. Who are you? Don't you want to know who I am?" the voice paused, and then laughed.

"You already know who I am, as I know who you are; though we have not, formerly, met."

"Beg pardon?" I asked, thoroughly confused. I had never heard this man who spoke to me, yet he seemed so familiar with me.

"Well then, I believe introductions are in order," he made a show of clearing his throat. "Hello Edward Mason, my name is Andrew Ravenwood."

**DUM DUM DUM!! HOW DOES ANDREW KNOW EDWARD? WHY DOES HE USE THE NAME MASON INSTEAD OF CULLEN?? WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY?? DON'T WORRY MY DEAR READERS, EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED IN DUE TIME. UNTIL THEN R&R LIKE CRAZY! THIS STORY CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT! I'LL TRY TO POST A PIC OF ANDY THIS WEEK. I THINK HE'S DELICIOUS!**


	2. Who Is This Guy?

**I AM SO SORRY ABOUT HOW SHORT THIS CHAPTER IS, BUT I REALLY WANT THE NEXT PART TO STAND ON ITS OWN. THIS IS FILLER, A SHORT GLANCE INTO THE LIFE OF ANDREW. THE NEXT SECTION WILL BE FAR MORE SUBSTANTIAL I PROMISE. UNTIL THEN, R&R WITH QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY. EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED, TRUST ME.**

**DISCLAIMER: WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ANDREW, I OWN NOTHING THAT IS MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER. DO NOT SUE.**

_EPOV_

"Excuse me?" I squeaked, all composure gone from my face. My mind was racing at supersonic speed. Who the hell was this guy? What was he doing down here? More importantly, HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD DID HE KNOW ME AS EDWARD MASON?! I would have expected to be greeted as a Cullen; it's the name that Aro would have passed out to the staff of Volterra. As far as I knew, no one, except for my family, knew me as a Mason; everyone else who would have died long ago. I stared frantically at the darkness, trying desperately to make out the form that belonged to the voice.

"Oh, my apologies, you must be looking for me." The voice sounded apologetic, to my further surprise. If this man was to be my executioner, he was a very polite one. As I heard the sounds of walking on my right, the voice kept on talking. "I used to be an actor, so you must excuse my more theatrical tendencies." He chuckled, as if re-living a fond memory. There was a soft click and suddenly the room was flooded with light, and I came to realize immediately, that I had not been thrown in any old cell. In fact, the room was anything but.

My eyes started at the ceiling. The grand chandelier dripped with diamonds and other jewels, shedding the room with a softer glow than the lamps that we used at home. The walls hung with so many paintings and pictures that I could hardly see the white paint behind them. One of the few that I managed to inspect was an old black and white picture taken in Southampton on April 10, 1912. Another was a portrait of Jane Austen, signed: _To my Mr. Darcy, With love, Jane. _What little space that the rest of the pictures did not take up, was used by shelves. Some contained films, some music, but most of them were occupied by books; endless rows of books. Original Austen's, Bronte's, Dumas', Poe's, and Hugo's were just a few of the thousands that lined the walls of the room. But the prize of the collection was in a shelf all its own. They seemed to be original copies of Shakespeare, but they weren't in book form. No, these were _scripts_. I was staring at original works of a genius. I suddenly felt very young and unimpressive.

"I told you I was an actor." I wheeled around and came face to face with my companion. He was sitting on a red velvet sofa, a glass tumbler in his right hand. It was filled with a red liquid that I could tell was blood. The man noticed my interest in the glass and chuckled at what must have been the shock on my face. "We prodigies don't get out much." He said with a slight smile. My eyes rested on his for a half second, and then went back to exploring the room.

The rest of the furniture was in red velvet, like the chair my host was sitting in. All the tables were in a deep brown wood that I assumed to be mahogany. I looked down and saw the plush beige carpet beneath my feet, now horrible scarred with the dirt that had been on my shoes. My eyes followed the obscure patterns in the floor until they reached something that I had not expected in the room of a vampire: a bed. The sheets were a creamy white and looked worn and comfortable. The pillows looked so welcoming that I thought that if I laid my head down, I would have been able to sleep, though I knew that was impossible. The comforter was the same shade of red as the rest of the furniture, though it was not made of high-class materials. It looked very warm nevertheless, and looked like it was loved, in that weird way worn books looked loved. There was a scent embedded into the fabric of the bed, though it was not that of the man in the chair. It smelled like the cherry blossoms that appeared in the spring back home in Chicago. _How odd._ I thought, sniffing the fabric once more. I heard the clearing of a throat behind me. I must have been ogling.

"Oh, sorry" I muttered, embarrassed. This was the first time that I got a good look at my companion. He didn't look as old as I would have thought, considering all the rare antiquities that were contained in his room. He didn't look much older than Jasper, about twenty I thought. His hair was jet black and wisped out a bit by his cheekbones. Despite his apparent age, his face still contained the roundness of youth. His skin was pale, just like mine, but there was a subtle difference. He looked sicklier than I did, as if his level of fairness was unhealthy, instead of natural. He was dressed in black, a strong contrast to his skin. His lips were slightly pink and thin, but always curved up at the edges. Only one thing about us was the same: our eyes. I could tell from the ache in the back of my throat that my eyes would be black, and despite the glass of blood in his hand, his were too. But that was not what united us. His eyes were flat and cold, as if nothing happy could ever happen to him again. So were mine.

**YEAH, IT'S FILLER, BUT I AMAMSED AT HOW THE DESCRIPTIONS TURNED OUT. USUALLY THEY ARE SO MUCH CRAPPIER THAN THIS. YOU CAN SEE A PIC OF ANDY ON MY PROFILE. YES I KNOW THAT'S GERARD WAY OF MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, HE WAS MY INSPIRATION AFTER ALL. R&R LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW!**


	3. My Story

**WHOO! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN, I FEEL SO PROUD. THEN AGAIN, IT MIGHT BE CRAP. BUT AT LEAST IT'S MY CRAP. ENJOY.**

**DISCLAIMER: INTERVIEWER: STEPHANIE, WHO IS THAT TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME MAN THAT EDWARD MEETS IN ITALY?**

**SM: OH, THAT'S ANDY. I THOUGHT HIM UP ALL BY MYSELF.**

**-I CRASH INTO THE STUDIO- LIAR!! HE'S MINE! YOU ALREADY HAVE EDWARD, ISN'T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU!**

**TRANSLATION: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT FOR ANDY.**

_EPOV_

"I don't mean to be rude, but you look like hell." The figure in front of me said. He looked down at the glass in his hand, as if considering something. I blinked and suddenly, it was in front of me. "Here, mate" he said, "You need it more than I do." My hand flicked out and grabbed the glass that contained my only lifeline. I knew that it was probably human blood, but I was so thirsty that I didn't care enough to voice my concern. But, as the blood flowed down my throat, I could tell it was not human. My eyes leapt to the man standing in front of me; a thousand questions that begged to be asked were contained in them, and he seemed to see the one of most importance.

"Gianna gets all my blood from the slaughter house outside of the city limits. She mentioned that your family members were animal drinkers, so I thought I'd be courteous and make you a cup." I could hear the slight London accent in his voice; it was almost identical to Carlisle's.

"You're a Londoner, then?" I asked. Confusion swept across his face at my quick observation. "I could tell by your accent. My father's is the same." His face split into a true smile, as if my words seemed to comfort him.

"Then all hope is not lost for you Yanks." He playfully sneered. "Tell me who is your father?"

"He was born to a minister in the 1640s. If you knew him, then you probably know that he led 'witch hunts' around the city on his father's command."

"I was the subject of one of those once." He said, his face faraway, as if he was remembering a distant memory. This sudden openness came as a shock to me. I barely knew this man's name, and he was revealing his whole life to me. He seemed to sense my discomfort, because he quickly apologized. "Sorry, it's just…I haven't had anyone to really talk to for so long. I didn't mean to appear forward."

"What was your name again?" I asked, out of the blue.

"Andrew. Andrew Ravenwood." I nodded. "You know, you still haven't answered my question."

"What was that?" I did not remember being asked something.

"Why are you here?" he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Felix threw me in here on Aro's orders. You should know that."

"I do. What I mean is why are you_ here?_" My face must have remained blank, because he soon saw fit to elaborate. "Why are you, a perfectly sane vampire with a good family, in Italy on a suicide mission?" His eyes seemed to bore into mine, searching for an answer. He suddenly straightened up and, in a perfect dead pan, asked: "Who was she?" _How the hell-?_

'What?"

"OK, tough subject. What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you must have done something worthy of this self-flagellation." He sat back in his seat, patiently waiting for an answer. I took a deep breath. What did I have to lose?

"I left her." I sighed. Andrew tilted his head to the side, a look of confusion on his face. Just he had to be confused about was beyond me.

"Why?"

"Beg pardon?"

"I said why. Why did you leave? Did you love her?"

"Yes,"

"Did she love you?"

"For some bizarre reason, yes." He smiled a bit at that, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Then what was the problem?" he looked at me the way he had when he asked what I was doing in Italy. Then, his eyes softened, and for one second, I thought he knew all about Bella and her blood, Jasper and the party. I thought he knew about everything; but that was impossible. "She was a human wasn't she?" I nodded, not bothering to be alarmed that he knew so much. "You left to save her." His voice trailed off, and the look of remembering was upon his face again. "I may know more about that then you think." By the time I looked up again, Andrew was standing up. "Do you want a drink Edward?"

"Sure." I said uneasily. He turned on his heel and strode to a machine on the right side of his apartment. To me it looked like a microwave next to a refrigerator. With one fluid movement, Andrew reached into the latter and pulled out what looked like two large, red ice cubes. He then proceeded to put these into separate cups, and put them into the microwave. I must have been staring because he merely chuckled.

"This is my version of hunting," he smiled and tapped the machine. "It's a steamer. You put the blood in and it steams it to perfection." Andrew smacked his lips in mock enjoyment. **(A/N: I have a confession to make. This is not my idea. This idea was thought up by the brilliant Ranma1577, and appears in her story 'Escaping Sol'. Read it, it rocks.)** Andrew strolled back to his seat and we waited in silence for the drinks to be done. When they were he poured the blood into two, ornate glass tumblers. I was almost afraid to touch mine. By the time I was all settled in my seat, which was very comfortable, he was sitting eagerly across from me.

"So," he began, "Is there anything about me that you want to know? We have all the time in the world." I pondered that last statement, and then went about deciding which question I should ask first. I only had about a million and a half. I settled on something simple.

"How old are you?" The shock on his face was perfect, until he laughed at my expression. Wow, the guy really was an actor.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." He sighed. "I hope you don't mind, I'm extremely long-winded." I nodded for him to begin. "Well, I was born on May 13th, 1482 in London, so I guess that makes me 524 this May. **(A/N: New Moon was published in 2006. I'm going by that.)**" I waited for him to continue.

"That's it?" I was slightly disappointed. This guy was not good at the whole 'distraction' thing.

"There's more, of course, but I don't want to bore you." I might not have been able to read this guy's mind, but I knew that if he had been down here long enough, he would want to talk to somebody. Even if that somebody was a pathetic murderer.

"Oh, come on! What else to we have to do? What's your story?" as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was terribly anxious to know how this guy knew me. In fact, I was kind of freaking out about it.

"My story?" I merely nodded, waiting for him to begin. He laughed softly and looked down at the carpet before answering. "It's exactly the same as yours. I am merely a few chapters ahead."

Well, that was entirely unhelpful. "I'm sorry but, I don't follow." Andrew chuckled again.

"My life started as everyone's does. I was born I grew up. I was turned by a vampire. I wandered the world for centuries, thinking that I was complete in myself. Then it all came crashing down on my head." His eyes seemed distant, as if he was reliving all that he was talking about. "I met her. I fell desperately in love, and then I lost her. And then I came here." He gestured to the apartment that we were sitting in, but I knew that he meant something else. He meant here as in 'the Vultori'. "I wanted death, so badly. I saw no purpose in living if I was not by her side." He suddenly looked up and stared at me. "Isn't that why you came here? Isn't that why you were so angry when they sent you down here to see me, instead of ripping you to shreds right on the spot?" My eyes must have held the confirmation he sought, because he nodded, ever so slightly, and got up to get another drink.

**THE PLOT THICKENS! OK NOT REALLY, BUT R&R ANYWAY! FOCUS OF THE NEXT CHAPTER: CARLISLE. OOOOOHHHH MYSTERY. **


	4. London

**THIS CHAPTER IS FAR MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN ANY OF THE OTHERS! YOU ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT ANDY -GASP-! THIS SECTION FOCUSES ON ANDY'S CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE. YOU NIGHT EVEN MEET SOME FAMILIAR FACES ALONG THE WAY.**

**DISCLAIMER: WHY DO WE WRITE THESE? I MEAN SERIOUSLY, IF ANY OF US OWNED TWILIGHT, NONE OF US WOULD BE POSTING STUFF UP ON THE INTERNET FROM CRAPPY GREEN DESK CHAIRS THAT DON'T ROLL ON CARPET. OK MAYBE THAT'S JUST ME. ONCE AGAIN, HANDS OFF ANDY! I ALSO OWN HIS ENTIRE BACK STORY. OH! WHAT NOW, BLOODSUCKING LAWYERS! NO PUN INTENDED. **

_EPOV_

I could have sworn that he was crying as he waited by the steamer, this time waiting for a pitcher to heat up. _Don't be ridiculous, vampires don't cry._ I thought, internally smacking myself. My thoughts turned to my family as I waited for Andrew to get back. What were they doing, now that they knew I was gone? Would they come and get me? Would they stay? Different reactions flashed through my mind as I thought of each of them. Alice would be sobbing into Jasper's shirt, as he tried to sooth her as well as the rest of the family. Emmett wouldn't be smiling for once, and Rosalie would have her 'I told you so' face on. And then there was Esme, poor Esme. I knew that out of everyone, she loved me the most and she would be the one to take it the hardest. An image of her sobbing in Carlisle's arms flashed through my mind, deepening the hole in my chest. _Carlisle, London, witch hunts, Andrew. NO. _

"Andrew?" he looked up at me, wondering what had suddenly snapped me out of my self-loathing, by the look on his face. "Didn't you say that you were the subject of one of my father's father's hunts?"

"Ah, yes, I believe I did. Just a moment please." He balanced the pitcher of blood on a silver tray and carried it over to the table between us. He filled both of our cups, and sat back. "Don't blame me if you get bored. I warned you about my long-windedness, and you asked." He smirked at me, and I saw that he was joking. I unconsciously sat forward; I had always been a sucker for stories. Andrew sighed and began.

"As I have already told you, I was born in London in 1482. My mother was a seamstress and my father was a tailor. We were never rich, but we always had enough to eat. I grew up on the banks of the Thames, playing with others of my age. One kid, James, was my partner in crime. We came to be known collectively instead of separately because we were never without one another. I went deer hunting with his family every fall, and he would always come over for tea in the summers. By the time we were twenty-one, we had grown into able-bodied men, though we couldn't have been more different." He smirked slightly at his memories. "We had gone out separate ways when we were fifteen. I had retreated into my books, fascinated with the thousands of stories that existed in the world. James had retreated into the world of drinking, gambling, and fighting. I never objected to this turn in his development, it suited him perfectly. He was always more of a brute than I was. Despite our differences, we still saw each other regularly. One fall, however, my mother got sick with pneumonia, and I stayed behind to look after her. James still went with his family. He never came back. As a human at least." His eyes flashed to mine, conveying the unspoken truth. James had been turned. It infuriated me to even think of that name, considering my past with it.

"James came back in the winter. I was walking home from my job at the university outside the city, and I saw him. He was taller, leaner, and far scarier, than when I had last seen him. He turned to speak, but a hand flashed to stop him." He stopped, a shudder rippling through his body. "I had not noticed the woman with him," _No, it couldn't be! _"She was more of a cat than a human. Her eyes were blood red, and they stared at me with a hunger that should have sent me running, but I was too terrified. The only other things that I remember about her are her hair and a name. Her hair was like fire, it seemed to light up the ally where we were all standing. James called her by name then. He said that it was-,"

"Victoria," the shock on Andrew's face was defiantly genuine.

"Y-yes, h-h-ow di-d-d you…?" he stuttered, desperately trying to process all that I was telling him.

"I met her, and James. Last year. They tried to kill her." I looked down at the floor as my mind was immediately flooded with images of Bella. Andrew seemed to understand, and was classy enough not to ask questions. He seemed to know what had become of James, and did not seem at the least worried if he didn't.

'Hmmm." Was all he said. "She succeeded with me." He pulled down the collar of his shirt, and exposed the thin scar on his neck. "James pulled her off me before she could drain me. Deep down underneath all the corruption that she had put him through, he was still my friend. Apparently that part of him died long ago. The man I knew would never had killed just to kill." His eyes held sympathy for me, and I was instantly grateful that the Vultori had decided to throw me in here than somewhere else. Andrew seemed to understand what I was going through, at least, and he offered sympathy without judgment.

"The rest of my years in London passed, for the most part, without any major incident. By the beginning of the 17th century, I had developed enough control to pursue a career on the stage. But, of course you already knew that." He gestured toward the collection of scripts that was housed on his shelves. "Since then I have been an on-and-off member of the RSC for 400 years."

"Which ones did you do?"

"Well, I was the original lead in _Romeo and Juliet_; thank god Mark had a high pitched voice. **(A/N: In case you didn't know, all the actors were men in Shakespeare's time)**" he smiled at the thought, and I couldn't help but laugh. "I was also the lead in _Hamlet, _and_ Macbeth, _played Puck in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, Caliban in _The Tempest_, and Lucio in _Measure for Measure. _There's more, but I don't want you to feel inferior." I could tell that my mouth was open. One, he knew James. Two, this guy just got pushed up like fifty spots of my cool list. **(A/N: mine too ;) )**Try as he might, I could tell that Andrew was pleased with my reaction. But I was still confused about one thing.

'What does this have to do with the preacher and the hunts? That's how this whole conversation started."

"I told you not to complain. You bought this upon yourself, Edward Mason! Don't blame me!" the fury on his face melted at the confusion on mine. All these mood swings were not helping me understand this guy.

"Now, where was I? Ah, yes, Father Cullen." I could see his eyes darken as he said the name. "The blood on that man's hands rivaled even my own. He spent his whole life searching for monsters, and barely caught any. I can still hear them. The screams of the poor souls that got in his way. One night I had the misfortune of being one of his targets." His eyes seemed very far off.

"Tell me."

_-Flashback-_

_APOV_

"_Good lord, can't these humans mind their own business?!" I thought as I raced down another side street. This was not my night. I was starving, it was wet, even for London, and Father Mackenzie Cullen and his disciples were chasing me though the streets. And they were gaining._

_I glanced back over my shoulder at the approaching mass. The good Father was at the lead, a look of malice in his eyes. He hastily swiped at a stray blond hair that blew across his face. I had to admit that, for a man in his early forties, he had a lot of energy. I skidded around another corner, the mob in hot pursuit._

_As I ran, I listened. All of Father Cullen's men must be out tonight, because the night air was completely devoid of screams. Screams of terror. Screams of pain. Screams of the innocent, the wrongly accused. "That monster" I muttered under my breath. Though he prided himself on his belief that the people he burned were indeed evil, the truth was that they were just people who were just people who had the great misfortune of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, under the wrong circumstances. If that man wanted a true monster, the stuff of legend, he needed only to look into a mirror._

_My thoughts came back to the present, and I realized that I had failed to notice the group of people in front of me. I went to swerve down another street, when one of them looked at me and shouted:_

"_There it is!"_

"_Oh, shit!" I skidded to a halt and turned to go back only to find the original mob behind me. Without thinking I darted through every ally, every side street I could see, but I was very thirsty and not as fast as I would have been. I swerved into an ally and found a dead end. "NO!" I was dead. I was going to die. I tried to blend into the shadows as the mobs passed, but one of them stayed behind. I froze as he stared at me. He was about twenty and his blond hair and blue eyes made him look like an angel. I mouthed the word 'please' and tried to convey through my eyes that I meant no harm. _

"_Carlisle, my boy, do you see something?" the gruff voice of the minister called. The boy looked at me and then said:_

"_No father, nothing." He turned on his heel and disappeared into the night._

**YEAH, ANDREW MET CARLISLE, JAMES, VICTORIA, AND WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. THE GUY IS JUST THAT COOL! R&R LIKE CRAZY! I WANT TO KNOW IF I'M DOING WELL! CHECK OUT THE PICK OF ANDY ON MY PROFILE! UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN...**


	5. A Note From the Author

A Note from the Author:

Many people are probably wondering exactly where I am going with this whole story, and as I am critically impaired with the supreme evil of writer's block, I shall attempt to explain it to you.

Throughout all the books, Edward is an island unto himself. He is purely unique, and had never met someone who had gone through the same experiences that he is going through. He never has anyone to relate to. Ever. He doesn't know if he's doing the right thing, is handling himself and Bella in a proper fashion, or if he is just being a selfish hypocrite who doesn't deserve anyone's love. Enter Andrew Ravenwood. Finally, Edward has someone who understands, who can empathize. I felt that this was something that he desperately needed, and that the time in his life that he is more unsure of himself than ever was a perfect setting for a meeting that would change his life.

And, as you and Edward will discover together, they are more alike than he could ever imagine. That's why I wrote this. To show Edward that he is not as alone as he thinks he is. That horrible things happen to good people. That heartbreak and loss are as commonplace as happiness and love. It is a lesson that I thought he needed to learn before he could go back to Forks and Bella.

You can call it crap, genius, character development or wishful thinking, that is for you to decide for yourself. As long as I think that it is required of me, my Andy will continue his quest to knock some sense into Edward's head (I will explain this in later chapters).

Until we meet again,

the3rdbronte


	6. Andrew's Point of View

**As you know, I have been impaired with writer's block for the last few days, and thanks to the brillient mind of filly8, this is what I came up with:**

**HintHint: a chapter of Andrews POV would be cool like mabye the one where edward first gets thrown in the room w/ him.. about how he can see edwards 'pain' and all.**

**filly8, I am eternally in your debt. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still think these are pointless. Still don't own Twilight. Still own Andy. Sorry ladies.**

_APOV_

Darkness. It's so predictable, so reliable. We start and end our lives in darkness. We see the evil of this world as black. We are weak in our darkest hours, and our lives, or at least mine, are measured in nights. The world began in darkness, and most say that it will end that way. My life as I knew it began on a cold winter's night in a dark ally, and it ended on that same night, centuries later, in a dark room.

Some said to look on the bright side, to see the light. Those who said these things had not usually been through a dark time in their entire lives. Light is fleeting, cold, and unfeeling. Yet those who see it but once, are endlessly searching for it thereafter. I was one of those people. I had had light and warmth and beauty in my life once, but you would not know it if you looked at me. I was now as cold and unfeeling as the light that I now despised. I was a marble statue that could no longer feel for others no more than I could feel anything for myself.

She was gone, and so was the light.

"You know it doesn't do you any good, thinking like that." a soft voice called from my doorway. I sighed; I felt a lecture coming on.

"Please, Gianna, not today." My eyes ventured to the figure illuminated by the florescent lights that lined the hallways outside my room. I knew that she meant well, but I did not need a lecture about 'moving on with my life' today. Not on her birthday. Gianna seemed to understand and merely moved to my freezer and set the red blocks of blood inside. As she went to walk out he door, she turned to face me.

"I thought you should know, that they caught a boy trying to feed in the city, and that Aro is thinking of sending him down here to stay with you for a while. He thinks that you two would get along; that you two were alike." She looked at the floor as she said all of these things. At least she had the decency to look embarrassed at the information that she had revealed. Gianna was always kind to me, ever since the first day we met. I knew that she hated Aro egging her on to get me to accept a spot on the guard. She was the only one who seemed to care about me at all. I knew that I must have seemed like a cold monster to her because I never reciprocated her kindness, but she never seemed to mind. She knew that a case such as mine was not one that was easily recovered from.

"Why does Aro think that this boy and I will get along? I thought I was 'one of a kind'." I could have sworn that she was smirking as she answered me.

"Do you want to know why he's in the city?" I looked at her, curiosity evident in my face. "His girlfriend died. She was a human. He came here-,"

"Because he wanted to die." I finished for her. "Just like me." Gianna nodded, and went out the door, locking it behind her. _Of course,_ I thought, _some lovesick and heartbroken vampire comes here on a suicide mission, and you automatically send him to someone who's exactly the same._ I knew that Aro would send him down here, whoever he was. I didn't have long to wait, because about five minutes after Gianna left, Felix opened the door and flung a lifeless body into my room.

"A few days in here and you'll be begging for a spot on the guard! Maybe this old coot can talk some sense into you! Maybe you'll bond over your crazy affinity for animal blood!" he slammed the door behind him, leaving the boy behind, lying against the south wall. All it took was one look at him to feel the pity course through me. The boy in front of me crumpled, broken. Sobs racked his chest, and he kept muttering a name under his breath, _Bella_. All these things were not what made me pity him. No, it was the fact that I saw so much of myself in him. I saw my own pain and heartbreak reflected back at me. It hit me like a punch to the gut.

_Who are you, mate?_ I thought. He seemed somehow familiar. The bronze hair, the line of his jaw, his nose, all of it seemed somewhat familiar. I mean, put a pair of green eyes on him and he could be… but, no, he couldn't be. That man had died almost ninety years ago. It couldn't be Edward Mason.

Suddenly, the man cried out in anguish:

"WHERE WAS THE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD?" I laughed a little at his outburst.

"Tell me about it man." His head snapped up at the sound of my voice, panic and curiosity mingling in his eyes.

"Who are you?" It was him. I did not see that one coming.

"All in good time, my friend. Before I answer that question, I must know: why are you here, in my room?" Shock registered on his face as I kept speaking. I suppose he must have thought that he had imagined my voice, but, however it may grieve me, here I was.

"Your…?" I was right, again. He seemed to me concentrating very hard, and I had seen that look on Aro's face the first time we had met. He was trying to read my mind.

"Ah, you must be the boy they caught in the city. Gianna told me this afternoon that they were thinking of sending you down here to keep me company." I chuckled, my old acting instincts coming back to me. "Oh, and don't bother trying to read my thoughts, I inhibit powers. That's why Aro keeps me down here; that man never threw away anything that he could use. I expect that's why you are still breathing in and out."

"Yes," he stammered, still feeling foolish. "But, you still haven't answered my question. Who are you? Don't you want to know who I am?" I paused, not sure how to answer. Then I laughed. It was strange, I was becoming more and more like my old self around this boy. I could see why she had always craved his company when mine was unavailable.

"You already know who I am, as I know who you are; though we have not, formerly, met." I had not been this eloquent and calm in more than eighty five years.

"Beg pardon?" he was still confused about my identity, and why I seemed so familiar with him; I could tell from his face.

"Well then, I believe introductions are in order," I made a show of clearing my throat, feeling like the man I was all those years ago. "Hello Edward Mason, my name is Andrew Ravenwood." Ah, yes. We were going to get along nicely.

**So? Did it tank? Do you understand Andy a bit more? I hope you do, but R&R anyway. Until we meet again.**


	7. A Note From the Author II

A Note from the Author:

Hello again my readers, it had been quite a while since we last met. May I first beg your forgiveness. I have not been updating at my usual pace because quite simply I can not write. I mean physically I can, but mentally my mind had completely shut out the story line with Jane. I have written other chapters that happen after though.

Some of the stuff that I wrote for the story with Jane was so embarrassingly bad that I have decided to evade the plot line all together and will continue the story that I set out to write.

I am going to tell you, in the next few chapters exactly how Andrew relates to Edward, and most importantly, how he knows him. I have a poll for people who want to guess, but I am slightly wary of what people are going to say.

I have told you all that you need; it has been up to you to piece the information together. I hope to see you reading soon and I hope to have the next chap up this weekend, and I am probably going to delete the two Jane chapters, as they serve no purpose.

Until we meet again,

The3rdbronte

P.S. I am going to post a 'deleted scene' so I can embarrass one of my friends!

P.P.S Here's a clue to the constant Andrew enigma: Human memories fade.


	8. Her

**This is the new version Chapter 5 without all the 'Jane' stuff. I know that this is kind of short, but I have a ton to write for the next chapter, and i didn't want to bog it all down in one chapter. After this we will FINALLY learn something about Andrew that has something to do with Edward. -jumps for joy- I hope you guys enjoy this to tide you over until the weekend!**

_EPOV_

For a few moments, all I could do was stare and blink. I was aware of my mouth opening and closing several times, but no sound escaped my lips. I just didn't know how to respond to Andrew's story. My father had never mentioned seeing any other vampires than the coven that he had caught; the vampires that had turned him. Yet, I knew that Andrew was telling the truth. Even the best actor in the world could not have created the level of sincerity in his eyes. He downed a glass of blood as I remained in my vegetative state, calmly waiting for me to come to myself.

"Why would he save you?" I suddenly asked, the sound of my voice was hushed and quickly dispersed into silence in the large room. Andrew looked at the ground as if in deep thought.

"I'm not really sure," he seemed as puzzled as I was. "But, Dr. Cullen was always, to the best of my knowledge, a good judge of character. He was very different from his father in that respect. He did not see monsters where they did not exist. Just what he saw in me that was not monstrous, I'll never know." He traced a ghost like finger around the rim of his empty glass as he spoke. This thought was one that had plagued him for years that I could tell. It was becoming easier to decipher Andrew's ever changing expressions.

"What happened after that?" his head snapped up in surprise, and then his face split into a warm smile.

"You mean you're not bored out of your mind yet?" I could sense the carefully masked burning curiosity behind his easy smile. He was finally loosening up around me, letting me in. Maybe I could get him to reveal how he knew me, if I played my cards right.

"No. Actually, I find you intently more interesting than myself; I've never done anything in my life that is worth mentioning." I felt very insignificant as I said these words. I was a normal boy from Chicago who happened to be turned into a monster, and had lived the rest of his life alone and yet surrounded. Another slash into my heart as I thought of my family and Bella.

"Thinking of her, are you?" I only nodded. I did not bother with being angry at Andrew's well meaning pertinence. "It's horrible isn't it? Loving someone with every fiber of your being, and then losing them so suddenly; it's enough to send a man mad. Considering your circumstances, you're holding up pretty well." My mouth pulled up slightly as he tried to comfort me. It was nice to have someone who knew what it was like say those words than someone who didn't. They just didn't understand.

"Come on, keep going with your story. I still haven't figured out how you know me."

"Really? That's funny; she always spoke so highly of you." His eyes flashed to me, and I understood that I had just been handed a vital clue. I didn't remember anyone young enough that would have spoken highly of me when I was not in attendance. "Still don't get it? Oh well, more fun for me at your expense." The glint in his eyes, and the smirk on his face, reminded me subtly of Emmett. I was not getting my answers anytime soon.

"So, where would you like me to begin?" he asked, looking as if he regretted asking. I knew that he already knew where I would ask him to begin. I wanted to know how he knew me, how he could relate to me so easily, and he knew that I was well aware of the fact that he was stalling. I also knew that he didn't have much more time to distract me. _Better get this over with, _I thought.

"I want to know about her," I paused to gauge his reaction to my blunt treatment of the, obviously painful, subject. Andrew merely looked at the floor, his head slightly nodding, as if he had accepted the fact that I was going to ask about him sooner or later.

"I figured as much, you always were very intuitive for your age." _And there he goes with the mysterious comments,_ I thought in exasperation.

"You're still not going to tell me who you are to me, are you?"

"No, its fun seeing you get so mad at me because of it." A smile with smugness to trump Alice crossed his face. He was enjoying my pain, I could tell. It seemed like a trend around here, what with Aro poking fun at me about my feelings for… _No! Stop it! You're only going to make it worse! _"Did I hurt your feelings?" I looked up to see Andrew looking at me with concern in his eyes. A wry smile crossed his lips as he deciphered my actions. "Right now is usually where the psychiatrist would tell the broken patient that it will are get better, that it will all pass, like the wind through the trees or sand through a sieve." His eyes were cast on the floor, looking as if they would be holding tears if they were able. "You have no idea how badly I want to tell you that, but I'm not going to lie to you, Edward." Our eyes met. "It doesn't."

**The plot thickens! The next chapter is the first one with andrew's version of 'Bella' in it, though I'm not going to tell you her name because Andrew hasn't told Edward yet! Special thanks and kudoes if you review, and to those who will still read this story if I betrayed them with the Jane thing. (Sorry Jo!) **

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**

**P.S. I watched the videos for Twilight on MTV News and OH MY EFFING GOD, is Robert's voice not ABSOLUTLY PERFECT! Lovin' the American accent, though his other voice is VERY NICE too! ;) R&R! TAKE POLL! SEE PICTURES!**


	9. The Beginning

**Updates at last! Cue the hallelujah chorus! Okay, so now we are REALLY starting in to Andrew's life and how it affected (and relates to) Edward's! I already started the next chapter so you won't have to wait as long for it. By the way, I have not gotten ANY reviews since I started updating again. HOW COULD THIS BE! Pretty please, with sugar and icing, review. If you don't I won't write, and then where would we be?? If you do review, I will give you my super duper desert I made up yesterday: a bowl of Johnny Depp icecream, dribbled with Jamie Campbell Bower( can be substituted if you're not one for the Brits) sauce, and topped with a Gerard Way cherry! let's see you resist now.**

**Disclaimer: See other chapters. If you don't get it by now, you're just ain't getting it.**

_EPOV_

Andrew sat back in his seat, titled his head back, and closed his eyes. A thousand different emotions played across his face: pain, longing, joy, love. Some made him cringe; others made him sigh, and finally, near the end, he collapsed into him and sobbed. I understood the mood swings, and the hysterics, they had been my constant companions for the last six months. It was the face of the memory of things that should have stayed forgotten. It was the face of an agony so indescribable, that only those who have felt it can truly empathize. I could not bring myself to ask, but I knew what he was doing:

He was letting himself remember. He was allowing his mind to accept all that it had rejected. I had to say that he held it in much better than I did. With me there was usually a lot more screaming involved. I waited patiently for Andrew to calm down, knowing how badly this simple act cut into him. When at last his staggered breaths were the only thing to be heard in the small room, he looked up.

"I-I'm sorry, Edward," he looked ashamed at how he had acted. "It's just that…I've been blocking all those memories from my mind for so long…" he shook his head, trying to banish the last remnants of his former life into the depths of his subconscious. "I guess I underestimated how they would affect me," A small smile tried to exist on his lips and fell into obscurity in its first moment of life.

"It's all right," I said, my voice a shaky whisper, not at all the consoling strength that I had imagined coming out of my mouth. "That's basically my entire state of being for the better part of a year," Bella's face, only a flash this time, flitted across my eyelids. I was distracted by Andrew: he was staring at me with shock etched into his face. "What?" I asked.

"'The better part of a year'?" he quoted, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Yes, why?" I couldn't see how he could see this as shocking.

"You mean you've been gone that long?"

"Yeah," _What the hell is he getting at?_ I thought.

"We're talking six months plus here, right?" Anger was becoming evident on his face with every passing second.

"Yes," I said warily. "I left back in September, and I haven't been back yet" I had come close, so close to breaking my promise in the last few months.

"What the hell could have possessed you to do that?!" Andrew yelled, rage dripping from every syllable.

"Excuse me?" I managed to stutter out. Whatever reaction I was expecting, that most certainly was not it.

"We have already discerned that you loved this girl, Bella, right?"

"How do you know her name?"

"You mutter when you're distressed, and don't you question me when I question you! Why did you leave!" by this time, Andrew had jumped out of his seat, had his arms on either side of me on the arms of my chair, and was looking at me like the wild animal that was hidden inside of him. I really didn't know how to respond. My mind groped for the answer that I had driven into my head for the past half-year.

"It wasn't safe." I said my voice coming out surprisingly strong and resolute. "For her or for me. It wasn't right for me to get so close to her. She deserved so much more than what I could give her." My voice broke twice, and my head fell into my hands for the second time that day. "She deserved someone who could love her in every way, who could worship her, provide for her every need." **(A/N: Yes I do mean THAT. I mean come on; you KNOW he's thought about it.) **I wasn't thinking about what was coming out of my mouth anymore, I just spewed out the words that I had for so long, held up inside of me. "Someone like Mike Newton." I chuckled, thought about it for a minute, and then shivered. He would have loved have gotten his hands on her, especially if I told him he could.

"Who the hell are you talking about boy?" I laughed out loud at Andrew's expression: eyebrows knit together, confusing in his eyes. Alarm flitted across his face; he was probably just worried about my mood swings.

"Long story." I sighed. Andrew had relaxed his position and retired back to his seat, but his eyes still blazed with some emotion that I could not place. "Speaking of which, can we please get back to the subject that you seem so keen to avoid?"

"Not until you explain," I was starting to squirm under his constant scrutiny.

"Explain what?"

"You know bloody well what." **(A/N: I know that is the stereotypical British person saying, but I couldn't resist.) **I sighed again.

"What would you have done, Andrew? Tell me, because you obviously know more about love then I do." For the first time, I stared right back into his coal black eyes, he as unwilling to back down as I was.

"All right, where do you want me to begin?" he asked. _Yes! Finally!_

"Begin at the beginning, go on until the end, then stop," a smirk played on his lips. Andrew nodded, finally giving in.

_APOV_

_I stared out of the window of my train carriage at the Chicago skyline. It was beautiful, if a bit dusty. But that might have just the window. I was only pretending to look really; it prevented my eyes from wandering to the various helpless humans around me. I had not feed in weeks, and I was already so thirsty. My eyes shot spontaneously to the man sitting across the aisle from me._

_He was young, only a couple of years older that my outward age. His blonde hair seemed to sparkle in what light managed to break through the muck of his window. He was dressed well, even if he looked like he had a layer of grime on him. He had the air of one who had seen so much that nothing could ever possible surprise him. His eyes flickered to me, breaking me from my examination. For a long moment we just looked at each other, he looking equally shocked to know that I existed that I was the he did._

_The train screeched to a halt at my stop, making me break the gaze of the golden haired stranger and walked, as if in sleep, down the ramp, onto the sprawling platform. The man himself had not been very shocking. I had been his eyes that had held me in a trance._

_They had been topaz._

_Just like mine._

**And so it begins. Review!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	10. Friar Lawrence

**It is official: Tuesday is my day for updates. I am EXTREMELY happy today because a) I got accepted to a creative writing summer course at Ashland, and b) OMFG THE TWILIGHT TRAILER OOSES AWESOMENESS! I absolutely adore Robert Patinton (sp?), and I have succeeded in getting my friends to see that he is not that bad! I had two reviews for the last chapter, kudos and thank yous to those people, whose names escape me (jk Jo). REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

_APOV_

'Amazing' I thought, still a bit shaken from my encounter on the train. **(A/N: If you haven't figured it out by now that was Carlisle. I really like the guy, so I guess my subconscious keeps him around. There is a huge scene with him much later in the story!) **'Vampires living in peace amongst all these humans' I chuckled softly, amazed at the possibilities of such a life. 'He was an animal drinker too; maybe these Northerners really are more civilized'

_EPOV_

"Why did you think that?" I asked, memories of Jasper's stories coming back to me. He had said exactly the same thing to me about two weeks ago. _Was it really so short a time? I feel as if I have been gone for years._

"I was getting to that, if you'll let me." Andrew snapped, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

"Oh, right."

"I had lived in the south for about five years before I moved to Chicago. I had loathed every moment." Andrew's eyes noticeably darkened at the thought. "All that mattered down there was blood, and who had the most of it. The thickest red as someone once called it. **(A/N: If you have not read Eclipse, you will not understand a thing I'm talking about. If so, just know that Jasper was a general in the South with this woman named Maria before he met Alice and the Cullens.) **Newborn armies were common, warfare was constant, and the vampire generals were ruthless."

"You wouldn't happen to know a general named Maria, would you?" I had heard Jasper speak off her often, and he had said that she was the worst of all of the vampires in the south.

"Ah, yes, she was particularly nasty. You know your history, very good." Andrew smirked at memories of Maria, and then curiosity ventured into his eyes. "But, pray tell, how do you know about her?"

"My brother was one of her partners before he came to our family. His name was Jasper, if you can remember him." I didn't think that he would, Jasper had not mentioned any older vampires except for the women that had turned him, and the select few newborns that survived their first few years in their service.

"Jasper Whitlock?" he said, shock in his voice. "About 6'1", blonde, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside at will?" I chuckled at his last sentiment, and then sighed, as memories of Bella's first morning at my house leaked though the dam of my mind. "That'd be him."

"Hmm, nice guy. Kind of angsty mind you, but still, nice." Good god, did Andrew no everyone in my family? "He and Mary Alice would have made a good couple." Apparently, he did. I decided to stay away from the Alice comment, partly because I was still shocked about it, and also because I didn't want any more damn side tracks. I stared at Andrew expectantly.

"Oh, right, where was I?"

"Chicago,"

"Yes, Chicago."

_APOV_

I wandered the streets of Chicago, drinking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. The cool wind swept my hair around my face, clearing my head. It was a very welcome change from the thick stench of the blood soaked south. It was an odd sensation; after all the underground warfare I had experienced over the last half-decade, this civility seemed completely unfamiliar. My mind shot back to the vampire I had seen on the train.

He had not been a hunter in the traditional sense of the word as he obviously did not sustain himself with humans but animals. Perhaps I could exist in this city in much the same way; there had to be plenty of woods outside of the city limits. _No, not exist._ I scolded myself. _Live. That's what you're going to do._

"Well that's all fine and good," I whispered to myself, far too low for any human ear to catch. "But, where, precisely, do you expect me to live?" Apparently my mind had not gotten that far. I skidded to a stop in the street as this sudden and disturbing problem made itself known to me. For the first time in my life I did not have any form of a plan. "This could be a minor setback." I said, exasperated.

"Excuse me? You lost, son?" My head whipped around to my left, desperately searching for the source of the voice. A stout man in a black robe over a bright blue patterned shirt was standing in a door way, looking as if he regretted asking. I sighed; I was used to the way human's reacted to me. Most just averted their eyes and walked faster, a fear they could not quite define coursing through their veins. But this one looked more started than scared. I didn't blame him. If I saw a freakishly pale, black haired and eyed man, dressed all in black, I would have been startled too. And I would have slammed the door in his face.

"Yes, sir," I replied sheepishly, "I've just been kind of wandering around, and it just now occurred to me that I do not have anywhere to stay for the night." I laughed nervously. All those years at the RSC **(A/N: Royal Shakespeare Company) **had done me more good than I could have ever imagined; I was good at things like this: getting people to like me. I had to be, being what I was.

"Well then, good sir, come in." the man opened the door wider to allow me passage. From the inside I could tell what the building was: a church. I smirked at the irony: the most unholy creature on God's earth taking refuge in his house. We passed though the dark halls of the church, all the while the good Father was never aware of the carnage going on in my mind. I had not fed in weeks and being caught in dark hallways with an innocent human with no one around, was not on my top ten list of things to do. The man's blood had a particularly pungent smell, like a fine, old brandy. He was not a singer though, so after about five minutes of wandering and getting used to his blood, I was perfectly in control.

The church was obviously Gothic **(A/N: Does anyone know if there are any churches like this in Chicago? If there aren't there is one now!) **, the elaborate stained glass windows and high arched ceilings gave that away. The harsh wooden pews seemed ominous in the darkness; as if a dark figure lay in wait to take another innocent life. I scoffed, breaking the careful silence that held the building in its grip.

"Something the matter, sir?" the stout priest asked, started by my sudden outburst.

"No, Father, nothing. I'm just tired is all." I scoffed again, this time internally. _I haven't been tired for 300 years, but tonight I've decided that I am._

"Ah, yes, here we are." The priest stopped at an unassuming wooden door, and pulled a just as unassuming iron key out of his pocked and opened it. The room was simple: all it contained was a bed, a wardrobe and a desk, but it seemed comfortable enough. "We keep a few rooms like this one clan for rangers like you, Mr.…?"

"Ravenwood, Andrew Ravenwood, Father. I'm just passing though really; I live in Europe"

"I thought so, please tell me, where is that accent from, Mr. Ravenwood?"

"The same place I am, London, and please call me Andrew, sir."

"You can call me Friar Laurence, Andrew." He awkwardly stood in the doorway, as if he was waiting to be dismissed. I tried to smile welcomingly. "Hmm, well, get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day; you might as well be prepared for it." **(A/N: I am so proud of this line. :) ) **I sighed when I could hear Friar Laurence's retreating footsteps on the marble floors, and flopped down on the bed. Sleep. Right.

"Maybe this isn't the best idea, using a man of god for shelter," I mused quietly. "Oh well, I'll deal with it tomorrow" I closed my eyes, wishing, not for the first time, for the bliss of sleep to come. Before my mind faded into a practiced obscurity, I thought of friar Laurence and how kind he was to receive me being the monster that I was. My last words of the night drifted out of my mouth without me being really aware that they did:

"Forgive me father, for I have sinned."

**If you have read 'Romeo and Juliet' you will get the reference here. Larry will come into this story greatly, and I am so proud of him, but not as proud as I am of Andy and his girlfriend. (oops! You get to meet her in the next chappie!) I know I said Edward would come into this, and he will. Just not yet. I'll see you next Tuesday!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**

**P.S. R&R and I'll name my first born after you!**


	11. Routine

**I am soooooooooooooo sorry, you guys! I really really truly tried to condense the next part into this chapter but there was just no way that was happening, so I'm afraid you are left with a criminally short, insufficient chapter. Please don't throw rotten fruit at me. cowers**

APOV

My first week in Chicago passed without any major incident, mostly because it was in the dead of summer, and it was blazingly sunny everyday. I went out only at night, familiarizing myself with the city's layout. I didn't really know why I was doing this; it wasn't as if I was planning on staying for an extended period of time. Or…was I?

Sometimes I think that my mind is really a separate entity from myself that thinks and acts of its own accord. It certainly wasn't about to leave, and as the mind has control over the body, no matter how much I disagreed with it, I had to oblige. By the end of that first week, I could tell any passing person how to get any where in the city and then some. During those seven days I also found out that I was exceedingly lucky: the Parish of St. Francis, as I had found Friar Laurence's establishment to be called, was right on the edge of a great forest that just happened to have an over population of deer.

My daily routine went something like this: From sunup to sundown I would roam around the parish, seeing fit to keep away from the windows of course. Mostly I would just help with the chores like washing the floors, cleaning the tapestries, doing the laundry, that sort of thing. It wasn't as if I was paying rent, so I thought I might as well have helped out. At the very least the Friars didn't seem to mind.

When all the lights had gone out, and the parish went to bed for the night, I would sneak out my window and retreat into the darkness of Chicago, and the woods beyond it. The dull conversations of the various night-owls would resound in my ears, the trials of the everyday making me long for the life I had left behind so many years ago. The forest became my sanctuary from my despair. It welcomed me with open arms, taking me in like a child lost in the cold. I could hunt in peace, effectively hiding the monster inside me from the outside world. Everything was going as smooth as ever until that day. Sunday, May 11, 1916. The day I met _her_.

"Andrew?" Friar Laurence called from the other side of my door.

"Come in, Larry." A smirk broke out on my lips as I heard the exasperated sigh that escaped the friar's mouth. He absolutely hated my nickname for him, and it was my primary form of entertainment when I tortured him with it. When at last he had gained enough control, Friar Laurence entered. I had been lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the various humans to leave after Sunday mass. Friar Laurence had been dropping hints for several weeks that I should get out more, meet more people; he said that he thought I looked too pale. I could sense another lecture on the subject, so his next words came as no surprise to me.

"Get up," my head snapped up, surprised only by his tine. His hands were on his hips, a stance he only took when he was going to fight. He was making it clear that there was no room for argument in the conversation.

"Why?" I whined, wanting to see how far I could push him before he gave up on me again.

"Because you are far too young to live as a recluse. You can't be a day over twenty-one, and yet here you are: staring at ceilings and avoiding the rest of the world. I am sick and tired of you just wandering around here like an empty shell! You are going to mingle today if it kills me!" _Whoa, he sounds serious_, I thought. Larry only got really worked up once in awhile. He said that all those years of taking confessions had made him develop a pretty even temper. Despite all this, it was really amazing how much the man could look like a saber toothed tiger when he wanted to. His nostrils would flair out and his eyes would go all beady. In truth, it was actually really funny if he wasn't looking at you that way; if he did then it was just scary.

"Are you serious?" I asked, trying my best to 'dazzle' my way out of the situation. I knew that it was a pointless endeavor before I even started, but you can't blame me for trying. Over a hundred humans, and myself in a tight, cramped, hot room was not the best idea. Unfortunately, the men in this place were so passion-starved that the dazzle trick only worked on the Bread Lady that made the most delicious smelling baguettes in the world, and the novices that lived in the next building, neither of which were there at the moment I needed them.

"Andrew, I just got back from being beaten over the head with my own, supposedly inferior, candlesticks by that crazy Russian grandmother who lived on 18th Avenue and that Bread Lady that you like so much, so yes, I'm serious." I caved, one because Friar Laurence would probably have found a way to kill me if I refused, and two, I thought that the poor man had suffered enough.

"Well, when you put it that way," and without any further ado, I swung my legs around and stalked out of my room and down the hallway, leaving Friar Laurence in a shocked silence in my wake. I knew that there was no need to enrage him and incur the wrath of God over a Russian and a Bread Lady.

I could hear Friar Laurence's hasty footsteps as he tried to follow me. He caught up; looking like a puffer fish his face was so red from running. When he didn't speak, I shot him a quizzical look.

"Well, there really is no point in fighting if you're going to be reasonable. Just, please don't scare or madden anyone, I really don't want you in the middle of any trouble, Andrew, especially after what happened with the nuns."

"Is it my fault I'm irresistible, Friar Laurence? Just because those girls hadn't seen a real male in years and they just happened upon me…"

"I know, it's just…" I didn't hear what he said next; I was too distracted by the room in front of me. I could smell them all from here, those absolutely delicious humans. Why was I doing this, putting myself in danger this way? I knew why before I was even conscious of it: I was doing this for Larry, because he had been so kind to me and I was just an ungrateful child. "Andrew, are you even listening to me?" his voice snapped me out of my epiphany.

"Yes, right, sorry, where is this meeting of yours?" his eyes relaxed at my sudden enthusiasm. "Left, than two rights, third door." I tried to smile as I sauntered forward to meet my fate; in more ways than one.

**I know that it doesn't really say much, but it sets up the whole entire next chapter when I SWEAR ON MY LIFE THAT YOU WILL MEET 'HER'! Please review anyway, and if anyone has any like, snotty, rich kid name ( I was going to use Mike, but I think I'll use Chuck, like the freaking awesome guy from 'Gossip Girl', which also rocks!) please include it! Also, major kudos to gerardsgirl who got the Across the Universe reference. You have been accepted to the reviewer hall of fame, and your name rocks! **

**A SUPERFLYINGTACKLE-POUNCE to all of the people who review!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	12. First Sight

**Hey, guys, I wrote almost the whole chapter over the last two days, so I decided to be really nice and give you the chappie today! You FINALLY get to meet Andy's 'Bella' today, and I have such big plans for her in the later chapters. And for you 'Gossip Girl' fans out there, I caved and put Chuck inhere. His scene is a lot like his conversation with Nate in the very first episode on the bus to school. I'm watching the 1996 version of "romeo and Juliet" on YouTube so I am very romantic right now. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I, to the best of my knowledge, do not own Twilight. OH, WOE IS ME! I also do not own the awesomeness that is Chuck Bass, though I sure as hell wish i did! But, and I'll be damned before someone challenges me, still own andrew, and his girlfriend who shall not be named.**

**P.S: This is Andrew telling the story to Edward, so really it is told in 'First-person Omniscient', meaning that Andy knows what's going to happen, but Edward does not. Just incase someone was confused with some of the tangents. I am also going to start putting quotes before chapters that have to deal with their content.**

_"Years of watching my sister master her abilities had taught me that life is nothing but a series of choices. An endless number of forks in the eternal road every sentient creature walks. Turn left, and walk in peace. Turn right, and you walk the road to hell."_

-"Juxtaposition" by binaryeclipse

_APOV_

I stood in the doorway to the only salon **(A/N: That's a living room in European countries)** in the parish, wondering what the hell I was doing. This wasn't just stupid, IT WAS INSANE! Maybe I had some kind of psychotic death wish, or something like that; it wouldn't really have surprised me if I did. Well, same or not, I really had no choice, the decision was made and I had to follow it through or face the wrath of Friar Laurence, who would, without a doubt, find a way to kill me. Taking a deep unnecessary breath, I took that first step.

It was like walking into a brick wall.

I had not been around this many humans in centuries, never mind in so close a space. It was so _warm_, like the heat of a thousand suns next to my marble skin. And it was so _loud_! My enhanced ears, no yet used to the clamor that so many bodies produced, made even a whisper seem like a desperate shout. No that many people were whispering. In all my years of solitude, I had almost forgotten exactly how social humans could be. People were shouting, throwing and eating like no tomorrow. The happiness and ease in the room was tangible.

_I wonder if this is how Jasper feels all the time._ I thought absently. I was snapped out of my wandering thoughts by someone knocking violently into me. My arms spun out instinctively, catching a ruffled looking woman in my hands. Her flat, brown eyes could only stare at me for a few seconds, and, sensing a senses overload on the way, set her back on her feet. **(A/N: No that was not 'her)**

"Sorry," she muttered before scuttling off into the throng of people. I looked after her, at the humans, looking for a place to stand and be inconspicuous. My eyes came to rest on a table laden with every kind of non-alcoholic drink imaginable. It seemed as good a place as any. _What the hell?_ I thought, and slowly started making my way to my destination.

As I walked, more ducked and dived, my mind was nearly overtaken by the blood of the people around me. See, to humans, understandably, all blood smells much the same: a mixture of rust and salt; but to vampires, every person's is distinct and unique, just like the person that contains it. The smell of a person's blood tells their story: who they are; where they've been; where they're going. In a way, I made it even harder to kill the people necessary for my own survival, feeling their stories, their _lives_, pouring down my throat. It was the main reason I stopped feeding on humans. Their lives are so fleeting; they should be left in peace to enjoy what's left of them.

I made it to the table without any major incident or pain, quite a feat on my part. I turned and settled myself against the hard, stone walls of the church, my eyes grazing the sea of humans around me. Only then was I aware of the stares. I knew that I was beautiful to them, we all were; it was our greatest weapon. They were drawn to us by our beauty. Most of the looks came form young women and girls. It was extraordinary, I could feel the lust form here; spend enough time with jasper and you get a feel for telling what emotions are going through a person. It was all in the eyes, you just had to know where to look: I could see lust, interest and, only slightly, fear in all of their eyes.

My eyes were moving so fast that I didn't have time to differentiate between faces, until my eyes came to rest on a pair of piercing blue orbs, and the face that they belonged to. She was beautiful; no doubt about it, but there was something…different…about her beauty. Unlike most girls of the time, she did not throw her beauty out there for the world to see and wonder at. No, she was…a quiet beauty. Her dark hair fell down in light waves, framing her face and cascading down her back. Her skin was the color of sand in the summer: beige but not yet golden. She had a round, yet angular face, lips the color of fresh roses, and round, soft features. Any one of these things would have made and man stare, but it we her eyes that held my gaze.

They were a deep blue, like the ocean when you know there is no land for miles. They were the kind of eyes that seemed as if they could gaze into your soul (if I even had one). If there was one extraordinary thing about her it was this: her eyes never wavered form mine; she didn't finch and look away hastily, she just stared right back at me. Her eyes contained, no fear, no lust, only interest, as if she had only now noticed me, out of the corner of her eye.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, staring at one another, but just as suddenly as it had happened our connection was broken, and she was back to chatting with her friends. I was shocked when I felt a slight slip of disappointment; I mentally slapped myself for my stupidity.

"She's out of your league, boyo," my head snapped to the right, searching out the owner of the obnoxious voice. I didn't need to look far. "You must have really been into her if you didn't notice that I've been standing here for the last," he looked at his watch, "three minutes." If it had possible for me to bush, I have no doubt that I would have been a very vivid shade of pink. The boy next to me seemed to sense my embarrassment. "No need to squirm, she does that to every boy that crosses her path." He held out his hand. "Chuck Bass" **(A/N: THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME GUY ON "GOSSIP GIRL"!) **he proclaimed, obvious pride seeping into his voice.

Seizing the opportunity, my eyes swept over the young man beside me. He had hair the color of Spanish chocolate, highlighted caramel by the blazing summer sun. His eyes were a mixture of green and blue, more the former than the latter; they seemed to sparkle in delight, using the small amount of light that escaped through the grime of the windows. He was well dressed all in white with a silk ascot the color of the sky in the middle of April draped carefully around his neck. I could tell instantly that he was a stuck-up pig with a lot of money; not the kind of person to become enemies with. I had discerned all of this before he could blink twice. Oh, the wonders of vampirism.

"Andrew Ravenwood," I replied, putting on my most blinding smile as I shook his hand, making sure not to crush it. "So, why is she out of my league?"

"Andrew," Chuck began, rolling his eyes. "She's had over seventy-five men, from the governor's son to the chimneysweep, show up at her door and ask her to marry them," He pointedly looked me up and down, clearly assessing that I was not up to par. "and, she's turned them all away without a second glance. What makes you think that you are any different?" I paused, on the verge between punching him and agreeing with him. I settled on the latter.

"Touché," I whispered, knowing what chuck said was true. I was a murderous monster who had no right to stare at such an, outwardly at least, angel. _Oh well, maybe she's a snotty narcissist who thinks no one is good enough for her._ I could feel my mouth twitch at the image this thought presented, and it did not escape Chuck's notice.

"Acceptance, that's a new one." He laughed at my supposed indifference. "Mostly people just drool over her more and refuse to give it up as a lost cause." He paused for a moment, as if considering telling me something he wasn't sure that he should. "She absolutely hates it, but people find her irresistible."

"Why?" I asked him, as he had obviously had some experience in the area.

"There is just something about that level of perfection," he mused, a spark flashing through his eyes. "It just begs to be…violated." A touch of menace and lust seeped into his voice. I vaguely wondered when she had turned him down.

"You are seriously disturbed, my friend."

"And yet, you know I'm right." I rolled my eyes at hem. Back when I was his age, they could still burn people alive for thinking like that. He scoffed at my carefully invented indifference, seeing through my careful mask. "Oh, come on. You're telling me that if you had the chance, you wouldn't…"

"Yes." I snapped. "Because I, unlike you, am not a spoiled, sexed-up pig." And without another word, I turned on my heel and strode off towards the Friar's quarters. But, I could not deny myself another glance at the mysterious creature with the ocean blue eyes that did not seem to fear me.

There she was, still chatting, completely oblivious that she had caught the eye of a monster. A dark-haired woman, obviously the girl's mother, came and pulled her away from her friends, shoving her towards the door. She never took her eyes off her daughter, but to this day, I swear that, just for a second, her eyes wandered to me, obvious fear in her eyes. Fear for her daughter's life.

As I turned towards the door on the opposite side of the room, I realized that there was one more thing that I had forgotten about humans, particularly mothers: they are far more observant than we give them credit for.

**Review! I may put a playlist up this week so that I can still update on Tuesday, but I'm still not sure. Don't worry, the girl does have a name but it will not be revieled until later! Andy loves you all as much as I do! SUPERFLYINGTACKLE-POUNCES to my reviewers!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	13. Fun Survey!

**Hey, you guys still get an update today! I was really bored and I needed something to get rid of my writers block, and I remembered that someone had done this on their profile. Filling out interviews for fictional characters is very fun. Particularly if they are of your own invention. I also drop a VERY big hint in here. Let's see if you can find it! Enjoy.**

_**Survey:**_

_**Basics:**_

Name: Andrew David Ravenwood

Birthday: May 13th

Age: 526. Seriously.

Hometown: London, England. RULE BRITANNIA!

Parents: Allison and David Ravenwood

_**Appearance:**_

Hair color: Coal black

Eye color: Originally light blue

Complexion: Very pale. I don't get out much because I'm having a feud with the sun.

Build: I'm slim, but not lanky

Favorite thing about appearance: I was told that I have a very nice voice, sort of like warm flannel. At least that's what she said.

_**Favorites:**_

Color: Black and ocean blue

Food: Um, I don't really remember

Place: The glen by Friar Laurence's old parish

Drink: Blood, particularly that of bears.

Person: Her

Movie: The REALLY OLD version of "Phantom of the Opera"

Song: "The Ghost of You". I play the guitar. So I write my own songs to pass the time. **(A/N: Remember: Andy is Gerard Way)!** I am also a fan of "Check Yes Juliet" by We the Kings.

Group: The Beatles

Book: Despite what you might think, I love to read vampire novels. Who cares if they get it wrong? That's what makes them fun. My favorites are the "Vampire Chronicles" by the wonderful Anne Rice.

T.V. show: I don't get cable. Aro is so cheap.

Play: Romeo and Juliet. But that might be because I was in it when it premiered. Let me tell you, kissing a guy with lips that chapped, is not fun. Sorry Marc.

_**Past:**_

Childhood Friend: James Patterson

Arch Nemesis: Edward Mason.** (A/N: This is how I write it! I don't care if there is an 'e' in it, MOM! She's reading over my shoulder again, and checking my supposedly incompetent grammar.) ** Not so much anymore. In fact the guy is kind of cool.

Happiest moment: The first time she said that she loved me.

Worst moment: Too horrible to put into words.

Have you ever broken someone's heart?: Yes, and I pay for it everyday.

Have you ever been heartbroken?: Yes, but it was of my own making.

Have you ever been intimate with someone of the opposite sex: I've done things and have had things done to me that I can't talk about around nuns and small children. **(A/N: I have been waiting sooooooo long to use this line!) **

_**Mind:**_

What is your current mental state?: Suicidal. Only the thing is, is that I CAN'T DIE! IT IS SOOOOOOO INFURIATING!

What do you think about?: Things that I really shouldn't.

What are you thinking about: How Romeo seemed like a genius compared to me, and Edward.

Do you hate anyone?: Myself for letting that happen to her.

Do you love anyone?: With every fiber of my being.

_**Last question:**_

Sum up your outlook on life with one quote:

Buttercup - You mock my pain!

Westly – Life is pain, highness! Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.

**It took a lot of work, but I finally got Andrew to fill out all the questions, even after Edward hit him for the Romeo crack. I hope to have another chapter up by next Tuesday, if I can ever decide what to write. -grrrrrrr- Anyhoo, review. RHYME! **

**Until we meet again, **

**the3rdbronte**


	14. Confessions

**I actually managed to keep to my schedule this week! HUZZAH! I am now going to take the time to thank the people that keep me going everyday: MY REVIEWERS!**

**Bookworm869- Jo, I love you girl. You read everything that i write, even the mistakes. I shall be eternally grateful!**

**gerardgirl14- The name alone is worthy of my love. You have received your place in the reviewer Hall of Fame for two reasons :1) You love Gerard Way, and 2) the rhyming review:**

**" rhyme, eh?**

**that adds a twist to my day.  
i've got just a few things to say  
i LOVE how hes gerard way  
gerard is the sexiest man alive  
except edward when bella took the dive (?)  
actually, i forgot edwards dead  
hahaha you said thats what she said  
so to finish up my little rhyme,**

**hurry up and get the next chapter in no time!"**

**filly8- You helped with writers block, so you are insanely cool.**

**im-your-nightmare, cherrybloo, IsabellaMarieCullen3214, DungeonQueen, fizz3221, and Ginabelle Black - the One-Timers**

**JustAlyse- she's been with me since Chapter 3**

**Arylla - My newbie**

**and, finally, the only one who got the clue last chapter: EnderACullen:**

**"Edward was his arch nemesis? Why?". And what was with the random Princess Diaries comment, girl?**

**I love you all, and now, without further ado: the chapter.**

APOV

"Didn't I tell you not to cause an uproar?!" Friar Laurence roared, bursting in on me doing the laundry. It had been one week since my, now historic, interaction at Sunday mass, and everything had gone back to normal. The whole incident had become a minuscule blip in my routine; at least, that's what I told myself whenever I thought of it.

"Yes, you did tell me that, Larry, but why, pray tell, are you telling me again?" I scoffed at Friar Laurence's display of anger. The nuns must have been bashing me again, and he, characteristically, was blowing it all out of proportion.

"Andrew, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I am only going to ask you this once," he grasped my shoulders, spinning me around so he could look me in the eyes, "What did you do?"

"Man, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything last week, except talk to Chuck Bass" **(A/N: I am so outraged at the season finale of GG, he was doing so well! –Fumes-) **Friar Laurence pounced on my last thought, urgency in his tone.

"What did you say to Chuck Bass?"

"Um…" _I knew it! I knew I shouldn't have yelled at him! I knew that I would get into trouble if I became his enemy._

"Andrew Ravenwood, tell me what you said, or I have a very old dungeon that's getting rusty."

"Well, I…" _Crap. Might as well get this over with. _"I called him a spoiled, sexed-up pig, okay!" Friar Laurence blinked twice.

"Why?"

"He was talking about this girl." He seemed completely oblivious to my delicate treatment of the subject. "He was basically talking about how he wanted to rape this one girl, and laughed at me when I said that I wouldn't do the same." A look of sudden apprehension dawned in Friar Laurence's eyes. Clearly I was missing out on a very crucial piece of information.

"Who was the girl he was talking about? What did she look like?"

"Um, she was about five foot six, had dark brown hair, beige skin, and these absolutely gorgeous eyes." I closed my eyes, letting the image of last week wash over me. "They were like twin oceans." My mind, unwillingly, snapped back to reality, a thousand questions dancing in my head. "How is any of this relevant?"

"Martha Brewster's been asking about you." He eyed me with apprehension. "She says that you were staring at her daughter. I swear that woman belongs in the Dark Ages, the way she treats harmless interaction between the sexes."

"Come now, sir! You can't talk like that, you're a priest!" I laughed at him. Friar Laurence was a very…unorthodox, holy man. He drank, organized card tournaments around the city, wore brightly colored shirts and frequented jazz clubs. Quite frankly, it was astounding that he received as many parishioners as he did. So the fact that _he_ said that someone belonged in the Dark Ages, meant that whoever it was that he was talking about, really did.

"Only in name, my dear boy." He smirked. "But you shouldn't just brush this off, Andrew. If Martha Brewster wants to talk, she'll have you run out of town on a rail within the month, or sooner, the way she was ranting." He sighed, exasperated. "You would think that she would be used to all the attention her daughter gets after men started showing up at h door at all hours of the day."

"Chuck said something about that," I interjected. "He had a clear case of sour grapes about it, too."

"Yes, the Bas-

_EPOV _

"I'm sorry, but how is any of this relevant to how you know me?" I asked. I didn't really know what I had expected, but a dead boring monologue about every small detail of Andrew's past was not it. To my great surprise, the edges of his lips twitched at my outburst, as if he had been expecting it.

"Dreadfully boring, isn't it?" he said, obvious glee in his voice.

"You mean, you knew?!" I said, both flabbergasted and furious at the same time. "Oh yes, I just wanted to see how determined you were to find out who I was, so I decided to test you with some of the really boring parts."

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?"

"Indubitably so." I sighed. So he was just toying with me after all. "I'm not just screwing around with you, Edward. I'm just shocked that you haven't figured it out yet. We have quite a connection, you and I. Most of it isn't friendly; bad blood." He smiled at his own joke. "In fact, even now, just beneath my carefully created calm exterior, I'm having a war with myself, between staying civil, and killing you." A glint in his eyes showed him to be telling the truth. _Why would he want to kill me? I don't even remember him!_

"So," I started, still unnerved by Andrew's confession. "When does this story get good?" the easy smile returned to his face.

"You want me to fast-forward to a part worth hearing?" he asked, excitement returning to his voice. I merely nodded, leaning slightly forward.

"As you wish."

APOV

_You idiot!_ I thought as I raced down another side street. _What the bloody hell are you doing out in the city when you're this thirsty! Do you want to be found out? So you want the Vultori to come swooping in to kill you?_ This, like so many others before it, was not my night. I was thirstier than I thought it was possible to be, completely miserable, and I was in a city that just happened to house millions of tantalizing people, full of blood. Exactly how I let myself get into these situations was still a mystery to me.

I frantically told my mind to take me back to the woods, but it seemed to be stubbornly refusing that option. Instead, it took me through the most populous districts in the city, a subconscious echo of the instincts that I had fought so hard to suppress.

I weaved though every dark street that I could find, my feet at war with my mind. I didn't _want_ to kill people. I didn't _want_ to take innocent lives like an ordinary man would eat animals. For a vampire, I was bizarrely moral, think of humans as people, and I often wondered why I did what I did. I knew why, deep in my gut: I could still remember what it felt like.

The blinding agony of razors ripping though your skin; the horror at seeing your own life force flowing from your body; the panic and fear that engulfed you when you looked into the monster that was devouring you. It was an experience that I would not wish on anyone.

I kept telling myself that as I sped, faster and faster, down the complicated grid of Avenues and Streets that made up Chicago. I kept telling myself to go faster, making my muscles burn with the effort of staying away form what I desperately needed. And I knew, with each passing step, that it would all be for naught. I knew that I would crack.

_So why torment yourself further? Why not put the poor soul out of their misery sooner rather than later? It would be the humane thing to do, Andrew. You know that. _And I did.

Finally letting myself go, my body came to a halt in the middle of a deserted street. It was very ordinary looking: a normal grimy street with iron lampposts about every five meters **(A/N: 15 feet)**. None of the windows held any sign of life, but my nose told me differently.

There, window about three stories up; there was a person in there. I inhaled deeply, tasting the air with my tongue. Female, young, maybe sixteen years of age. A perfect meal for a starving vampire like myself. My mind was screaming at me, condemning my actions as I performed them. I ignored it.

Without a second's hesitation, I leaped onto the window ledge, swiftly opening it as I swung my legs onto the floor. The smell of her was even more wonderful in here! It permeated every surface with its delicious aroma; it was floral somehow, like the cherry blossoms that bloomed here in the early spring. Taking no notice of the appearance of the young woman in the bed before, I ran to her side, carefully tipping her neck so that her arteries were poised beneath my teeth. I was just about to bite her when I heard:

"If it's all the same to you, I'd really like my neck back. Bite my wrist of you must, please, I'm not really fond of them." I pulled back, looking, for the first time, at my intended victim. She had ocean blue eyes, both of which were staring at me expectantly.

This was not good.

**Didn't see that one coming, didya?**

**REVIEW!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	15. Queen's Gambit

**Hello, I typed this all up today, and since my parents haven't yelled at me to get into bed yet, and I have my Algebra 2 final tomorrow, I decided to put this up today. Now you get to learn about Andrew's 'Bella' (who now has a pic on my profile. Go see it.) and how her life was. Edward is coming, within the next few chapters. Now that summer is starting I can write full time and get chapters up more quickly. Enjoy**

APOV

Previously:

"_If it's all the same to you, I'd really like my neck back. Bite my wrist of you must, please; I'm not really fond of them."_

She just kept staring at me with those expectant blue eyes, her wrist extended. I could smell the blood that raced just under the thin covering of skin, but it held no interest for me anymore. I had eyes only for hers.

"Well, go on." She said, clearly impatient.

"Wh-wh-what?" I managed to stammer, unimpressively. What the hell was she talking about? What did she expect me to do, put on a grass skirt and dance the hula? Whatever it was, se appeared to think that it was perfectly obvious and sighed in annoyance.

"Bite me." I blinked, still not quite comprehending. Those perfect eyes looked me up and down again. "That is what you're here to do, is it not?" she paused, letting her wrist fall into her lap. "Hello," she said, waving a hand in front of my face. "Ringing any bells up there?" Exasperated, she reached behind her to flip a switch, flooding the room with light. The sudden brightness caused me to gasp and cover my eyes, letting them adjust to the change. When I opened them at last, I was greeted with a dazzling sight.

I had thoroughly underestimated how breathtakingly beautiful the girl in front of me was. The ornate lamp lit up her face from behind, framing it with its soft glow. You could see the flecks of gold and red in her hair, reflecting the light. Her skin was darker then when I had last seen her, but it stilled paled in comparison to the black silk that swaddled her slim figure. Her lips were pressed into a hard line, and yet they seemed to curve into a half smile in spite of it. But her eyes were still the most beautiful thing about her. If not for them I would have thought that she was a vampire like me.

"Whoa. You look like absolute hell, man. When was the last time you fed, a year ago?" a small chuckle escaped her lips. After a few tense moments, I finally found my voice.

"How do you know?" I asked, still in a bit of a daze from the light. "About me, I mean. What I am?" she full out laughed at my question. What exactly she found funny escaped my notice.

"A pale as death man, with pitch black eyes and under eye circles the size of a small European nation, finds a way to leap up to my third story window. What about that doesn't scream 'vampire'?"

"You know that's not what I asked." I said, relaxing almost immediately. At least she didn't seem like she was going to turn around a scream at any moment.

"I just wanted to save you from a really long story."

"As I am sure you are already know, I don't sleep." She laughed, nodding in agreement. "So basically, I have nothing but time." I turned the full power of my eyes on her. On the outside, she seemed completely unfazed, but I could hear her heart speed up a few beats.

"Alright then, wait here." She brushed back the red covers of her bed and hopped onto the plush carpet, grabbing a white robe off her desk as she strode towards the door to her room. Her black silk nightdress only went to her knees and had tiny strips of fabric for straps. _Don't stare at her you idiot!! _I mentally snapped at myself as she disappeared behind the door and padded down the hall.

"Please sit," I heard, a whisper barely audible to human ears, but crystal clear to my more sensitive ones. I did as she requested, and wondered, not for the first or last time, what I was doing. How could I do this: involve a human in my solitary world? Sure, she seemed to know about what I was, but still, could a friendship between she and I exist? The rational, objective part of my mind told me a sound no, but a small voice in the back of my mind, so timid that I wasn't sure weather it was my own thought or not, told me to try.

I was snapped out of my musings by the sound of wood on carpet.

"What is that?" I asked, staring at the large wooden box in the girl's hands. She made no immediate response, but her hands went to work quickly on the wooden vessel in front of her. She unlatched the lid and pulled out an ornate block of wood covered with small, legato edging and white and black squares. She carefully placed it between our two figures and proceeded to pull out several small objects resembling metal people the same color as the squares. She lined them up by color, forming ranks on either side of the board; black for me and white for her. She handled each with the care and love of a mother with her children, stroking a tall figurine with admiration and patting a small figurine with pity. Once she had everyone lined up to her liking, and after hopping up to place the, now empty, box on her bed, she curled her legs under her and looked at me, her eyes piercing. Only then, after tearing my wandering eyes away from her exposed legs, did I realize what lay before me.

"Do you play chess, sir?" she spoke, she face lighting up with a brilliant smile, sensing my amusement.

"Yes, actually, ma'am." I smiled back at her, causing her heart to speed up again. I appraised the small objects before me with the eye of a general, sizing up his troops. "I used to be in the Royal Army back in England, and we always used to play when we were in basic training." She blinked.

"Why?" I smirked, memories of my passed days racing through my head.

"Everything you could ever need to learn about combat, you can learn from chess. How to be patient, when to be bold, how to take a dire situation and turn it in your favor, always send in the pawns first, never the queen, and how to outsmart even the most dastardly opponents." I looked at the figures at my feet, imagining them as soldiers and lieutenants. "But chess had one great flaw as a game of war. Unlike war, the rules of chess are constant; the pieces are unchangeable. You will never win the heart of a rook or the mind of a knight. They are deaf to your pleadings. The goal of a chess game is total annihilation. But in war, even as the blood beats in your ears and you race after your enemy, there is the hope that saner minds than yours will stop you before you reach your target. In war, unlike chess, rules can be changed. Truces can be called. The greatest of enemies can become the best of friends." I looked straight into her eyes, "In war, there is always hope." I leaned away from her and crossed my arms over my chest. "White moves first."

She was good, I'll give her that. She never left anyone unprotected, never left anything unplanned. After several minutes of 'it was her, than it was me' playing, I finally brought up what had got us into this game in the first place.

"You know, you never did say how you knew about vampires." Her eyebrows shot up at my casual use of the word that most of us thought of as a taboo.

"You're sure you still want to hear? We may be here awhile. Or are you just trying to distract me so that you can salvage what is left of your dignity before you lose?"

"Just tell the story. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about; then again, it could be a dramatic comeback."

"You wish." She sneered playfully, lying on her stomach and crossing her legs behind her. Her eyes never left mine unless she was moving a piece. As the minutes turned into hours, and she still would not surrender her story, I began to get really impatient.

"Why won't you just tell me!" I cried, throwing one of her knights against a wall in my fury. She looked at me blankly.

"No need to get huffy. All you needed to do was ask." I stared at her in utter disbelief, and then straightened up as she cleared her throat.

"I have an Uncle Jess who lives in Scotland. He keeps a farm in the country that I used to visit for the summers up until I was twelve." She paused, as if considering telling me the next part. "That was the summer I came back from the farm and started telling my mother about impossibly beautiful people that could run faster than the wind and sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight." She looked down, sadness creeping into her eyes. "She never sent me back there again." She looked up to meet my gaze, her face newly composed. "I dare say that you already know who I'm talking about. They were a family of animal drinkers like yourself."

"How could you know that?" I asked, startled at the observation.

"Well, I haven't heard of any mysterious disappearances in the last few months, so I can reasonably assume that you drink from animals." Her eyes suddenly became very soft, almost causing me to melt. "And the fact that you didn't kill me even when I told you too was a bit of a tip off." She dropped her eyes, a slight tinge of pink appearing in her cheeks. I decided that now was probably a good time to answer her question. I moved a pawn before I began to talk.

"I believe that you are referring to the Grays, am I right" I said, smiling as her eyebrows shot up. She moved a knight before speaking.

"Yes, quite." I captured one of her pawns. "I was up late one night because I couldn't sleep and I decided that I would visit Lucy, one of my Uncle's prize cows who was always up at that hour." Her eyes lightened as she stared into the space around me, her memories coming back to her. "I used to play in those hills for hours at a time when I was younger, swimming in the lake on the property and laying out in the wide expanses of green grass, letting the sun dry my skin." Her face shone with the joy of times passed. She suddenly moved her queen, taking my only castle. "That night, I skipped to the shed, never imagining what lay within it.

"It was a boy, no older than I was. A boy with flaming red hair, leaning over Lucy, kissing her neck. At least, that's what I thought at first. All thoughts of him not doing her any harm flew from my mind on the wings of horror when he pulled back from her." She shivered, the memory of that first look at hell flashing though her mind. "A small trail of blood snaked its way down his mouth, and in an instant I knew what he was. I was terrified and yet, I could not bring myself to run. I was too entranced by his beauty; the way he glowed in the moonlight." She moved her knight, leaving her queen unprotected. _Should I? _I asked of myself. The pull of a kill, just there for the taking, was too great. I slammed my rook on the queen, flicking it off the board. She looked down, shocked.

"Now how did I manage to do that?" she muttered to herself, crestfallen.

"Sorry, that's chess." I muttered as consolation. "Please, don't stop yet." I was startled at the desperation in my voice, but it appeared to escape her notice.

"He just stood there, looking at me looking at him. An inexplicable embarrassment filled me from head to toe, and I had the courage to mutter an 'I'm sorry' and escape." She scoffed. "He came back the next night. I saw him waiting for me at the entrance to the shed. I was startled, but not frightened, much to his surprise. He told me that his name was Arthur, Arthur Grey, and apologized for scaring me the night before, that he hadn't meant any harm by it. He took me to meet his family after about a month.

"Robert was the father, tall, slim and dark. Maria was the mother with honey blond hair. He had a brother named Nathanial who was older by about five years, who was the rebel with pitch black eyes and a deep voice that never changed. His twin sister, Anna, quickly became my best friend. The three of us would go gallivanting in the towns and hills at night, and sometimes during the day, when the sun would make them sparkle. We had such fun that summer, we were so carefree that, when the autumn finally came, and with it the time for me to go home, none of really understood." She half-heartedly moved a piece around the board, obviously not interested.

"Our last morning together dawned fair and grey; a fitting ending to such a wonderful friendship. Just before I left, each member of the family gave me a gift.

"Robert gave me a book of adventure stories. 'Books' he said, 'were a way to travel the world from the comfort of one's own chair'. He told me to read them and imagine myself in them, sailing the seas with pirates or defeating dragons with knights. I still have it, and I read one of the stories every night." She pointed to a leather-bound book on her bedside table.

"Maria gave me a mirror that showed not the outward appearance of a person, but the inside. She told me to be young and beautiful for the rest of my life.

"Nathanial gave me pens and paper, so that I might write down my adventures and send them to the family to envy.

"Anna gave me a bag of herbs that she said would cure any ailment that I ever came down with.

"And Arthur," she said, moving another piece, "he gave me this, so that I would always remember him, and all the fun that we had had together." She pulled on a string that was wrapped around her neck, and pulled out a brilliant necklace. It was not made of jewels, but of sweet grass and wood, and locks of hair and scraps of clothing. It was a memory strung onto a sting and hung around a neck, so that the wearer would never forget the wonderful things that it represented. It was beautiful.

"Is that it?" I asked, moving a piece that I took no real notice for.

"Yes, for that story that is." She smiled for some reason that I could not fathom. "Oh, and by the way," she moved a pawn over one space, "Checkmate." I looked at the board in amazement.

"But, the thing, with the queen…" I looked up to see my companion smiling smugly. "You planned it all, didn't you? You wicked tease." She laughed at my shock.

"It's called a Queen's Gambit." She looked into my eyes, conveying her message. "There was one thing that you forgot about chess and war: you must learn how to sacrifice." I looked at her with wonder.

"Please, tell me your name." I begged, not caring about my dignity anymore. "Please, I must know, who are you." She seemed surprised by my sudden burst of passion, but her smirk soon returned.

"Come back tomorrow, good sir. I still have much to tell you."

"As you wish," I took her hand and placed a chaste kiss on it, feeling the blood rush through her veins. I was suddenly reminded of my needs.

"I expect to see you well fed tomorrow, or I shan't tell you anything." I could hear her laugh. As I walked down the street I turned to see her leaning out her window.

"Goodnight, goodnight. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I must say goodbye till it be morrow." She waved from her window and shut it.

I danced down the street and ran towards the woods, looking forward to night for the first time in my life.

**Review, please. I saw the first clip for Twilight on MTV last night, and OMG is Cam not absolutely perfect for James!! I thought he wasn't going to be that good, but WOW! I can't wait for the book, I think that Bella is the white queen and Jacob is the red pawn. But then again, I could be completely off.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	16. This Bud of Love

**Hello lovies! It's almost Tuesday, so I think that this qualifies as an 'on time' update. Summer is here, and so am I, along with the rest of this story! I am planning to bring Edward in after the next chapter. I already have most of the next chapter written out from my time of desolation and obscurity know as writer's block. I am hoping to finish it tomorrow and post, so you get TWO CHAPTERS -GASP!!- Oh, and before I forget, I have just in the last week discovered the amazing vampire show 'Blood Ties' Henry is such and Edward, or rather, Edward is a Henry as he was born first. Go to to see it, they have the whole series! **

**Disclaimer: I do not, however it may grieve me and haunt my nightmares, own such items as Twilight, Panic at the Disco (though I wouldn't mind if they can hook me up with My Chemical Romance) and The Princess Bride. Once again, if any of you so much as thinks about stealing my Andy or his girlfriend (who will be named in the next chapter!) I'll have your guts for garters!**

_"When the moon fell in love with the sun, allwas golden in the sky, all was golden when the day met the night. When the sun found the moon, she was driking tea in her garden, underneath the green unbrella trees, in the middle of summer. When the moon found the sun, he looked like he was barely hanging on, but her eyes saved his life, in the middle of summer. In the middle of summer, all was golden in the sky. All was golden when the day met the night."_

_-"When the Day Met the Night" by Panic at the Disco_

EPOV

"So, did you?" I asked. Andrew looked at me from under his eyelashes.

"If I hadn't, would I be here with you right now? Come to think of it, you probably wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for her." He appeared to be deep in thought as he was completely ignoring my look of confusion.

"Why do you _do_ that?!" I screamed. He looked confused at my outburst.

"Do what, Edward?" he asked. Could he really be that oblivious? Was my painfully obvious suffering such a secret to him?

"Why do you make all these really cryptic remarks that you _know_ I can't understand because I don't remember anything?! It bothers me enough without you shoving it in my face!" I was out of breath by the time I was finished with my rant. The look of confusion had still not left Andrew's visage.

"You really don't remember anything?" he asked, shocked. Well, that wasn't _necessarily_ true.

"I remember the roof of a building. It was made of old red brick with marble statues at the corners. The only other thing I know is that it was back in Chicago when I was younger." I looked up at Andrew, surprised at the questioning look he was giving me. "I don't know why I was there or if anyone else was there, but I know that it's important."

"Well then you know something I don't." he said. His words seemed to be as much of a shock to him as they were to me. After all this time, I had grown to think that he knew everything that there was to know about me. "You'll have to tell me about that when we get to it. Until then, on with the story…"

APOV

"You look happy this morning, Andrew. What did you do?" Friar Laurence asked as I danced passed his room.

"Nothing, just decided to be happy today," I lied. _Oh, you old man if only you knew._ Everything was happening at once and it felt as if the world was on fire. Never, in all my travels, had I ever experienced anything like this. From what I had heard from others in my seemingly never ending journeys across the world, I knew what I was feeling: I was in love. Or a very early version of it. It was really more like lust at this point, but still, give it a few more months and I would be even more head over heels for my angel. There was just no way to express all that to Friar Laurence without complete rambling.

"You better tell me what the hell is going on eventually, you know that Andrew!" he yelled at my retreating figure.

'Sure, man." I yelled back. "Just as soon as I figure it out for myself!" I could here him muttering under his breath in disbelief. "And yes, I am aware of the contradiction in that statement!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

I raced through the city, trying to find the street that I had located by chance last night. After about two hours, I realized how crazy people could be when they were running from themselves. I had been down every side street, up every avenue, and still could not find her. I had almost lost hope when I caught a scent. Cherry blossoms.

"You know for a minute there I didn't think that you were going to come." I looked up to see her leaning out of a window, a smug grin plastered all over her face.

"And why would you think that? I asked, trying to force my mind to form coherent thoughts and sentences.

"Well, after you walked by for the fourth time, I was kind of getting the vibe that you weren't looking for me." She was teasing, as was obvious from her still intact smile. I was entranced by her, not her beauty but _her,_ the aura that she gave off. It drew you in like a moth to a flame. After two minutes of ogling I could tell that my constant staring was making her blush. "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to come up here and talk to me?" I didn't need to be asked twice.

I jumped through her window, startling her with my speed; I went so fast that, in my haste, I almost knocked her to the ground. I grabbed her waist to stop her from falling. An electric current seemed to run from where my hands met her body, and straight to my heart, causing me to let go in shock. She took a step back from me, obviously startled from my sudden entrance and, I thought, or dreamed rather, my casual touch.

Once again forgetting to slow down my action, I pulled her chair from her desk over to where her bed was and sat, my arms propped up on the back. She gasped and her hand flew to her heart.

"Must you do that?" she asked, regaining her composure.

"'That' is pretty generic, would you mind elaborating, please?" she smirked at my formal tone.

"Must you act like a vampire, all the time?" she said, knowing that she sounded foolish even as she said it. "What I mean is, it's been more than four years since I've been around someone like you. I'm still not used to it: the speed, the grace," she lowered her eyes, her face a violent shade of pink, even in the dark, "the beauty." It was my turn to be embarrassed.

"You're one to talk! Have you looked in a mirror lately?" she looked at me, her piercing eyes confused.

"What are you implying?" she asked, wary. _What would be the reason for that?_ I asked myself.

"Nothing, forget I said anything, please." I whispered, too ashamed to meet her eyes. I jumped when I felt a warm finger under my chin, forcing my face up. I blinked, trying to get my brain used to the exquisite goddess in front of me.

"Come on," she coaxed, her sweet breath fanning over my face and clouding my brain. "Tell me, I promise I won't laugh." I never stood a chance.

"You are the most exquisite and beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on. The brightest angel in heaven sent to meet the darkest devil from hell." My eyes fell again and I sighed as her soft, warm hands left my face.

"How old are you?" she asked for no apparent reason.

"485, why?"

"It shows, when you talk." She smiled, lying on her bed and flopping on her stomach, propping her chin on her arms.

"How so?"

"You speak with such elegance. You have all the charm and poise and romance of a world that could never exist again. Your voice draws a soul in with its softness and warmth, every word you speak is like magic in sound form." She chuckled, her eyes dropping to the floor once again. "You say that I am an angel with my beauty and my charm, but you," she shook her head in disbelief; "You my friend are the true angel. A dark one perhaps, but an angel no less."

For a very long, and yet too brief, moment, we just sat there, staring at each other; each person trying to figure the other one out. It was she that finally spoke.

"So, what do you want to hear?"

EPOV

"That's what she would always say; every night when I appeared at her window: 'what do you want to hear?'"

"And what did she tell you?" I asked, the remnants of a memory tugging gently on my conscious mind.

"Everything: childhood friends, her favorite things, anything that came to mind." I was suddenly reminded of my many 'interviews' with Bella when I had first started talking to her again, how I had been fascinated my everything that she had to say. "We told each other our deepest secrets, our darkest desires." Andrew looked down, and I knew that tears would have been in his eyes had he been able to produce them. "By the end the second month of our meetings I knew, beyond even a shadow of a doubt, that I was madly in love with her." He chuckled dryly.

"It's pretty surreal isn't it?" I said, letting the memories of those first few months with my personal heaven. "Thinking that the world can never change, that you are just doomed to wander the world by yourself, and then your world explodes with light and beauty and warmth and…" I trailed off, a memory suddenly crashing down on me.

"Edward are you okay?" I heard Andrew ask, worry coloring his voice. I only vaguely heard him; my mind was too far gone.

It was a voice. It was defiantly a woman's; it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life up until that point in my life. The voice created images, colors dancing in front of my eyes, people and places flashing before my eyes: heroes and villains, princesses and giants, men in black and scheming Italians. Then I remembered: it was a story.

"Andrew, does the following sentence mean anything to you: Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin…"

"Her favorite pastimes included riding her horse and tormenting the farm boy that worked there; his name was Westly, only she never called him that." Something clicked in my head. A thousand images flashed through my head: parties, purple satin, the Ostroff institution and so many others. So many things were coming back to me, like pieces of a puzzle, only I didn't have the image on the back of the box that showed how they fit.

"Anything coming together yet, Edward?" Andrew asked, concern in his eyes. But it was impossible to see whether the worry for me or for himself.

"No, nothing yet." I looked up at him, my eyes willing him to start speaking again. 'Please, don't let my incompetence keep you from your story." He smiled and continued.

APOV

I strode down the familiar street that I had walked countless times before. _You know that you can't do this, right? You just _can't_, it could completely ruin your friendship with her! But maybe she feels the same way about you, maybe she loves you. Oh, right like that would ever happen! _

The two sides of my mind warred with each other, running around inside my head, confusing me even more than I already was when I left the parish. I had told Friar Laurence everything: what I was, who I had been sneaking off to see at night, and how I felt about aforementioned woman. Considering the weight of what I was telling him he took the whole thing rather calmly. I was worried for his mental health because of it. I mean, how many stable people don't scream and run away from a resurrected bloodsucker? He of course, insisted that I tell her about everything, or at least the parts that she didn't know. After whacking me over the head with one of the candlesticks from the front room, he finally got me out of the door, my resolve hardened to an almost foolish extent.

And now here I was, standing below my very own Juliet's window, a lovesick Romeo terrified of his own feelings. I could hear her heartbeat from here, a soft, content thumping. She was already asleep. She sometimes slept during the day so that we could talk more at night. I leapt through the window, and was once again consumed by my love for the woman in the bed before me.

How could she think that she wasn't perfect or beautiful? How could she think me an angel when she was the most angelic person I had ever met? She constantly blew my mind away with the simplest of things. On the rare occasion that I was allowed the privilege of watching her sleep, to adore her in peace, without worrying that she would turn me away like she had so many others, I was content to just sit and listen to her heartbeat. One day I swore that I would ask her what she dreamed about, but I never did. It would have been too embarrassing, confessing my obsession for her so completely.

I sat on the edge of her bed beside her sleeping form, my hand softly stroking her face, her arms. I ached to wake her, to confess to her my love, to see if she felt the same way about me. I knew that that was impossible, that such an angel would never love a devil like me. I knew that I would never be able to say it to her face, I would cower the second I saw her eyes.

I looked around the room, my eyes searching for a distraction. They fell on her desk and the pen and paper that lay on its surface. Almost as if it had been waiting for me. Leaving myself with no other choice, I walked over to the desk, picked up the pen, and started writing my heart away.

**Like I said, I already have most of the next, and part of the one after that, chapter written. If i have my way and my flowers don't try to take over the yard it will be up tomorrow! Expect the one after that on Tuesday at the latest! Review, please, I only got one from the last chapter. :-(**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**

**P.S. If you live under a rock, that story that Edward remembered was the Princess Bride. It should be a law that anyone who understands the English language has to read it. The movie also rocks! **

**P.P.S. MY NAME IS INIGO MONTOYA! YOU KILLED MY FATHER! PREPARE TO DIE!**


	17. Proclamations

**Okay, second chapter in twenty four hours! God, when I am good, I am really good! Anyway, I wrote the beginning with the letter back in April when I was waiting for my dad to pick me up after school. I am intensely proud of this chapter because you get to see what is going on inside Andrew's girl's head, and you get to see what her name is. Edward is going to come in in the next chapter so prepare yourselves, because you might be mad at me. I know I haven't given you guys much time to review, but thanks Jo and Gerardsgirl who did it anyway. Enjoy.**

_"Sharia: The reverse is also true: men often love women unworthy of them._

_Scherazade: Love had nothing to do with worth. Love is a madness. Prince or beggar, will have no control."_

_-Hallmark's miniseries 'Arabian Nights'_

APOV

"Dear…"

I paused, and it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have a clue about my companion's identity. Upon this realization, I quickly scratched out the offending word and began anew.

**"My Dear,**

**You are probably wondering what I would have to say to you that would require me to avoid you. The information that I will divulge to you is probably the most important thing that I will ever tell anyone, and I know that the second that I would see your face I would crumple like the coward I am, and most likely mumble something incoherent and off-topic. Even now, as I write this I can feel my hands shaking. (I apologize for any illegibility.)"**

God this was pathetic. I was rambling and I wasn't even talking. I could picture what she would say if she could see me so irritated over a simple letter: _Stop fidgeting, Andrew! Just spit it out! _I chuckled under my breath. She always had a blunt way of saying things that did not involve her. I cast another glance over my shoulder at her sleeping form, and was reminded, once again, of why I was here.

I could tell that she still thought I only came to her for the chance at her blood, nothing else. She didn't know how wrong she was. It wasn't lust for her blood that drew me here, to the only sanctuary I would ever have. She was my siren call, my singer as it is referred to in some of the more civilized covens of Europe. She shifted her glorious form and I was, as always, seized with the almost unbearable desire that seemed to awake in me while I was in her presence. Oh, how I longed to bury my fingers in her chocolate mane, to breathe in her delicious scent, to feel the warmth radiating off her skin, to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and shower her kisses. She was so beautiful, so perfect. My inspiration renewed, I went back to writing with a passion.

**"Nothing I can write in the next thousand years can ever really sum up my feelings for you, so I won't try. Plainly and simply: I love you.**

**For hundreds of years I have been kept in the dark; my whole world was a starless night. And then you came along, burning brighter than the sun with your wit and your charm and your beauty. I love you more than I will ever be able to tell you. You are perfect. I could care less about your flaws, as they are never horrible enough for me to notice, and are therefore, not worth noting.**

**I am not going to ask you to love me. How could such an angel love an old monster like me? My world is one of darkness and death, and I would never try to force it upon you. I know that you are, at this very moment, rolling your eyes and scoffing. Don't. I am deathly serious. You are an angel to my devil. The beauty to my beast. I have loved you when I have had no right to, and I know that I should just stop right now and disappear out of your life forever. But I can't, I'm thoroughly addicted to you. It would kill me to leave you, so I'm not going to try. I'm really very selfish that way.**

**The only thing that I require of you is this: a name. Any name will do, as long as I can keep the memory of it forever. If you have any doubts about my feelings for you, than hear this now: no matter what you choose, I will always be there for you.**

**Because this is true love. You think this kind of thing happens every day?**

**Forever yours,**

**Andrew Ravenwood**

I sat back in the chair and admired my handiwork. _Oh well, _I sighed internally. _That's the best you're ever going to do._ I quickly sealed my heart away in one of my love's ocher envelopes and placed it delicately by her head. I could only pray that she would feel the same passion for me that I did for her. _Not that you deserve it,_ I thought. Without thinking, I brushed the back of my hand against her cheek, and was so nearly undone. She was so warm, so _soft_; and I was…well, I was cold and hard. I was a monster, an abomination that would never in a thousand millennia, earn or deserve the love of the angel in front of me. I had only met the love of my existence because I had wanted to take her life. My hand snapped to reach for the letter, a desire to rip it to pieces burning inside me. But as I reached for it, her hands move to the side and covered it, as if protecting the message inside it from destruction.

I sighed, stole one last look at my love, and jumped out the window. Friar Laurence was going to want an update.

_CPOV _**(A/N: This is the girl.)**

I awoke to the sound of crinkling paper. _Hmm, that's odd_, I thought. I did not recall leaving or having anything (or anyone) on my bed when I went to sleep. Forgetting it almost immediately, I rolled over to my other side and tried to remember the dream I had been having. I didn't remember anything too specific, but I knew that _he_ had been there.

The young, bold and impossibly beautiful man that visited me in the night had been here, in this very room, in my dream, but it had not been under out normal circumstances. On any other night he would have come to sit at the foot of my bed and listened to my stories into the small hours of the morning. But, in my dreams, he would always crawl into bed with me, wrap his arms around me and whisper, so seductively, in my ear; some nights it was stories, others it was endearments, and still other times it would just be whatever came to mind. I didn't care as long as he was there, next to me, with his arms around my waist. I had had this dream so many times in the last couple of months that sometimes I would wake up, still continuing the conversation we had been having.

But that was all it was. A dream.

I sighed and opened my eyes, finally ready to meet the day. I got up and walked over to my closet, selecting the midnight blue dress that played up the fairness of my skin. I dragged myself over to my bathroom, unwilling to face the monster that I was in the morning. I washed my face, thinking only of the countless parties that Mother had yet to ship me off to. I despised those parties with a burning passion; it always seemed like they were more like auctions, where all the eligible, and sometimes not so eligible, men would look me over with prying eyes. I didn't know where men got the idea from, but I was not some prize to be given to the highest bidder! I stared at my horrid reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"He would understand." I muttered, feeling completely hopeless. Suddenly, a vague memory floated back to me, as if from a dream long gone. It was my angel, sitting at my desk, with his back to me. I could tell from his posture, and occasional growls of frustration, that he was becoming very frustrated about whatever it was that he was doing. He turned abruptly in his chair to gaze at me, a look of longing in his eyes. No, it couldn't be longing. He was far too perfect for me, I was so ordinary. He turned back to his task with an unparalleled passion, and wrote the continuation of whatever it was that he was writing in half a minute. He heaved a sigh and sealed away the letter in one of my envelopes before walking over to my bedside and placing it by my head. I nearly gasped at the feeling of his skin on mine, partly because he had never touched me before, (that I knew of) and partly because he was so cold. I gazed after him as he jumped out the window, as if I could will him back into being. Then, something hit me.

"The letter!" I cried, lunging over my chair and flopping down on my bed, tearing the letter open as I did. My eyes absorbed the words on the page. I had to read it twice. I couldn't believe it. My dark angel loved me too! ME! A boring old human, loved by the most wonderful man in all of creation! I was so elated that I did the unthinkable: I quoted Shakespeare.

"Come gentle night! Come loving, black-browed night, give me my Romeo! And when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love with night, and pay no worship to the garish sun."

I sat on my bed, absorbing the feeling of absolute bliss that was running through my veins. I was on top of the world, no I was in heaven! I was the happiest that any person on the planet had ever been! I was…

"Honey, time to go to church!" Leave it to mother to ruin the moment.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next three hours passed by in a daze of people, preachers and sermons. I paid no mind to any of it, but instead focused on the image of my angel. Normally I would have discouraged this because I never really imagined him correctly. I would always get the line of his jaw or the shade of his hair wrong, but now, as I sat on the hard wooden pews of hell, it would have to do.

_Is he thinking of me? _I wondered, ignoring Friar Laurence's preaching. A week ago I would have thought that impossible, that my own personal heaven would have kept coming back only for a chance at my blood. I knew that I seemed unbelievably beautiful to the outside world, but they never saw me when I woke up first thing in the morning; between the rats nests in my hair, the circles under my eyes and the fact that my mouth smelled like something had crawled up in there and died, it was amazing that anyone found me even remotely attractive.

I reached into my pocket and felt the soft paper of his letter. All the emotion it held, all the love and admiration that he had transcribed into its pages. _Wait, not he. _I mentally corrected myself. After all, I had learned his name, at last: _Andrew. Andrew Ravenwood. It flows off the tongue doesn't it? Oh my god, listen to me, I sound like a love struck child! Wait, I __**am**__ a love struck child, or teenager. Come on girl, get a grip. Treat this like you would normally would. Oh, right like a normal human girl falling for a vampire is __**so **__common. _

My thoughts continued in much the same way for the rest of the service: me trying to make sense of my feelings for Andrew. By the time that Friar Laurence's droll monotone had ceased and the dull roar of the parishioners had started up, I had come to the same conclusion seven different times: my feelings for Andrew didn't make sense. I was completely and irrevocably in love with him, and nothing like that ever made sense in the history of the world. So I stopped trying, and just let my feelings be what they were, and I prayed that his would be the same when I saw him next.

"Honey, come on, your mother wants you to meet some more people today." My father, Edger, whispered in my ear. At least he had the decency to feel sorry for me when mother dragged me around, showing me off to all the narcissistic, hormonal young men in the city. "Your mother only wants you to be taken care of, love, you know that." He would always say to me before I left for a party or some other kind of social torture. It was good to know that at least one of my parents cared about me more than just the price of the shoes I would be wearing to their funerals.

I strode over to my mother, trying to be happy, but my act fell flat after the first few minutes. My mind blanked out from the situation, except to mutter a 'hello' or a 'so nice to meet you' to whomever I was supposed to be speaking to. I had just stooped to musing about moving to Nepal to become a monk when I felt a hand on my lower back.

"Oh yes, exactly what the situation needs, Chuck." I turned to face the most indignant of my suitors and frowned at the leer on his face.

"For you information, sweetheart, I'm not the one that needs to see you. But, seeing as how you have called attention to my presence, I have a room at the Palace that's being neglected." His other arm gripped onto my wrist, pulling me into him. I looked him straight in the eye.

"You might want to take that hand off of me before I break it off at the wrist, Bass."

"Oh, but Brewster, when are you going to see that we belong together." He leaned down to press his cheek against mine. "I swear I'll make it worth your while. You have to admit that there is something, special, between us." I reached behind Chuck's head to massage the skin on his neck.

"You know I really wish that there was something between us." I pulled his head back, smiling seductively. Just as his arm went to reach lower down my back, I took the arm that was holding my wrist and twisted it behind his back. He screamed in pain and fell on the floor. "A continent!"

I raced off towards the friar's quarters, running through hallway after hallway until I bumped into Friar Laurence. My actions not waiting for confirmation from my mind, I buried my head in the man's chest and sobbed my eyes out.

"Oh, come on now, Miss. Brewster, surely it can't be as bad as all that. Is Bass trying to get in your panties again?" I laughed at his mockingly serious tone. He knew as much about chuck as I did, and he knew of his unquenchable desire for my body. I hastily wiped my eyes free from tears and looked up to see the Friar looking at me as if he was debating about telling me something.

"Is there anything that you want to tell me, sir?" I asked, curious. Whatever it was that he was debating about, the side that wanted to tell me won out.

"Yes," he pointed towards the forest about twenty yards from the window. "Go down the trail at the right. Follow it until you come to a fork in the road. Turn left and keep walking until you come to a clearing." He looked down at me and smiled. "There's someone that wants to see you." He winked and pushed me out of the door.

I stumbled through the forest, praying that the Friar meant what I thought he had meant. My mind warred with itself as I was walking. _How do you know that he didn't just say all those things to get at your blood? No, Andrew wouldn't do that, he's kind and gentle. No vampire, in a city of this size, would go through all that trouble to get at one victim, it's completely irrational. But that doesn't mean he loves you! _ My thoughts were cut short by a sudden end to the trees and the trail.

It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life.

It was a glen with a carpet of sweet grass the purest color of green I had ever imagined. Flowers were dotted here and there: sunflowers, marigolds, baby's breath. The clearing was a perfect circle, the trees seeming to create a sort of wall from the outside world. A river ran from the right of me to the end of the clearing, creating a soft bubbling sound. My eyes went to the sky, and were met with a perfect shade of blue, a bright yellow sun in the center of it, as if it were an elaborate decoration. My gaze fell to the river, following it with my eyes. And through it I found what I had been looking for in the first place.

There lying on the bank of the river, sparkling like the sun itself, was Andrew. I knew the basics of what he would have looked like in the sunlight, but I had to admit that I wasn't entirely prepared for it. He was even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. I just stood there like the love struck idiot I was, staring at him. The wind came up from behind me and blew my hair around my face. His head snapped up and his eyes caught mine as he caught my scent. He stood up, smiling and holding out his arms for me.

Without any rational thought I started walking towards him, then I was jogging, and finally I broke out into an all out sprint. His arms wrapped around me as I collided into him, dragging us both down to the soft ground. We laughed at the absurdity of ourselves.

"You seem enthusiastic about something, love." My body involuntarily shivered at the sound of his voice calling me 'love'. I reached up and stroked his face, something I had only dreamed of doing since the moment I saw him. His eyes closed and he placed kisses all over my hand and wrist.

"Only you, Andrew." I whispered back as a response. His eyes snapped back to me, love blazing in them.

"Say it again, please." He dipped his head to my neck, kissing it.

"I'll do you one better." He stiffened. I leaned my mouth over so that it was by his ear. "I love you, Andrew Ravenwood." He said nothing for a long while and I wondered if I had said too much.

"Tell me your name. Please, my love, tell me who you are." He pleaded, sounding as if he was on the verge of tears. He pulled his head back to stare into my eyes. How could I refuse such a request?

"Charlotte." I whispered. "Charlotte Anne Brewster." He closed his eyes again, letting the sound of my identity wash over him.

"I love you too, Charlotte Brewster." Then I was lost in his kiss and the bliss that accompanied it.

**Awwwww, I love sappy romance. I feel all warm and fuzzy when I write it. :-) The only thing I'm sad about is that the really cool handwriting font that I had the letter in in Word didn't carry over. :'-( Okay, the next chapter should be up in a few days since I have nothing better to do over the summer. Okay, maybe I should be reading and doing essays for my Honors English 10 and AP U.S. History classes, but whatever. That's what August is for. Go see the picture of Charlotte on my page, and this is your last chance to vote in the poll. Review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	18. Heaven and Hell

**Here it is: the fatal chapter that will decide the fate of this story. I have made my decision. No one is going to convince me to take it back. Please don't hate me. I'm going to write the next chapter and put it up tomorrow because I won't be able to Friday and Saturday because I'm going to Cedar Point and a baseball game. I'll keep a look out for any freakishly good players.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, but might if I have my way, own Twilight. I still own Andrew and Charlotte and whatever trials I may put then through. I'm a sadist who like to play God and watch lesser people scream. What can I say.**

EPOV

"I don't think that I need to go into gritty detail about the next three months, as I am probably sure that it would just be old news to you." Andrew chuckled and sighed, looking happy about something for the first time since I got here.

"You could say that." I answered. "Whirlwind romance, romantic dates, moonlight dinners" My mind went back, all of my moments with Bella flashing through my mind: the nights in her room, the endless shopping trips that we had been made to go on with Alice, going to the meadow to get away from our families prying eyes. I knew of the bliss that Andrew spoke of.

"It feels like nothing could ever go wrong in the world ever again. Like you and her are in your own little planet without anyone else to distract you." I closed my eyes again, letting everything that I had ever felt in Bella's presence wash over me. Every memory, every kiss, every touch. For a moment it felt as if I was there again, back in the time before I had destroyed my life and hers. But it had to end; those horrible memories had to come back, soiling the wonderful ones with their darkness. Andrew must have sensed me going back to a mood of death and despair because he quickly spoke up.

"Are you absolutely positive that you don't remember anything?"

"I didn't remember anything the last time you asked me, and I still don't remember anything now." I said, annoyed at his persistence.

"No need to bite my head off." He said, holding up his palms in an action of truce. "Memory loss due to vampirism is not unlike amnesia: one memory like an object or a word can bring all of your lost memories back to you. I'm just covering all the bases." He stood up to get us some more drinks and when he returned, something occurred to me.

"Andrew?" he looked up expectantly. "When you were talking earlier about how you knew more about my situation than I thought you did, what did you mean, exactly?" Andrew leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You know what Mason, you really disappoint me. Here Charlotte was telling me how smart and quick-witted you were and you can't even figure out who I am." It hurt him to say her name; I could tell from the way he hesitated before he spoke it.

"Oh, so I did know her?" I asked, racking my brain for any trace of her. A place, a time, a word, and object. Then it hit me. "The roof; the roof back home, she has something to do with it. I still don't know what, but she has something to do with that place." Another memory tugged at my mind, but it would not make itself known.

"Again, I have no recollection of this whatsoever, so I'm guessing this is one of those very few things that Charlotte never told me." He paused, as if considering not telling me what he was going to say next. He looked up and into my eyes, just the same as he had when he was giving me a clue to whom I was to him. "And yes, you did know her. Very well actually." He looked down again, once again ashamed of his words. "Sometimes I thought that you knew her better than anyone, even I."

If I had ever desired to read Andrew's mind before that moment, it was nothing compared to what I felt then, when he was offering answers to me so completely.

"You want to tell me something, Andrew, what is it?" he still wouldn't meet my gaze. I had to strain to hear the words that came from his mouth next.

"I do and I don't. I do because, no matter what I thought all those years ago, I believe that you are a good man Edward." He chuckled dryly and a look of sadness came into his eyes again. "And I don't because I'm afraid of what you'll do to me when you inevitably find out who I am." I was stunned by his words, the obvious fear that was present in his voice as he admitted his weakness to me.

"Okay, if I promise not to jump you and tear your head off?" he laughed at my attempt to lessen the tension between us. "Come on, man. Trust me." He shook his head at me, biting his lip.

"I swear to God, if you try to dazzle me into telling you, I will rip your eyes out so that you may never live to dazzle anyone else!" a small smile curved its way upon his face. I knew that I had succeeded.

"So, is that a yes?" he looked down, shaking his head again.

"I'm going to regret this, I can tell."

APOV

I strode down the familiar street for the thousandth time, nearly bursting with anticipation. No matter how many times I made this journey, I still felt the same excitement. Charlotte just had that kind of effect on me. Over the last few months, I had felt more alive than I had felt since the night I was changed. Whenever I was with her, Charlotte seemed to fill a space in me that I wasn't even aware that I had had. Her warmth was like a fire that in turn warmed my own un-beating heart. My only regret was that, if she chose to stay with me, which I both hoped for and feared, I could never give her the life that she had deserved.

Casting all of my more unpleasant thoughts from my mind, I leaped through the window to my love's room, landing silently on the white carpet. This was the only way I could get into her house without alerting her parents to my presence, which would have, as Mrs. Brewster put it, lowered the whole tone of the neighborhood.

The sight that met my eyes startled me to say the least. Charlotte was sitting on her bed, just the same as every other night, but instead of leaping up to greet me with a blinding smile and an all to brief (and safe) kiss, she merely sat there, staring, a look of one that is dead upon her magnificent face. I stared back, confusion the only emotion that was registering in my brain. Without any warning, Charlotte burst into tears. I rushed to her side without a thought, wrapping my arms around her, my heart breaking at the sound of her sobs.

"Charlotte, darling, what's wrong?" I asked desperately, unsure of what to do. She paid my pleading no mind, and continued to sob into her hands for what felt like an eternity. I could do nothing but stroke her hair and hush her, trying to stop my heart from aching at the sound of her cries. Finally, I heard her take a few staggering, deep breaths.

"A-Andrew?" she stammered, her voice cracking. Her pain caused another gash to cut itself into my dead heart.

"Yes, my love?" I tried to keep my voice as passive as possible, as much for my sake as for hers.

'My-my-mo-mother."

"Yes?" As much as I hated to admit it, just the mere mention of that woman terrified me. If Martha Brewster knew about me and what I was, she would never let Charlotte near any other person ever again, no matter what the material cost to her family. Deep underneath all that bull she put up as an act she was still a mother. If her mother was involved with this, I decided that I would steal Charlotte out the window at that very moment and change her the first chance I got. Whatever the cost, I was not going to live without her.

"My mother is-is f-forcing me-e-e to-," Oh God, I was right. "to marry"

_What?_

I was a statue.

I had stopped breathing.

My brain was refusing to function.

No, this couldn't be happening, it was impossible.

"Apparently, my family and his have been fighting for years. Not like Capulet verses Montague, but more like a battle for reputation. His father is a lawyer like mine and they would always fight for the most high profile cases." her voice was growing higher and angrier with each word that came out of her mouth. "So anyway, about a week ago, my parents finally realized how completely mental the whole this is and the four of them had lunch yesterday.

"So there I am, reading in the library and my mother bursts in and announces that they all decided that in a 'gesture of friendship' they would marry their kids off." If I had let go at that moment, I truly believe that Charlotte would have committed bloody murder. If I was being honest with myself, I would have right beside her, but I couldn't think about that now.

"Well, that's good isn't it? Your marriage will end years of hate." It took all the control I had in me to keep my voice from cracking. Charlotte turned in my arms to look at my face and her cleaver retort died in her throat; no matter what the situation she always was able to see through my pretenses. She lifted one of her hands to stroke the side of my face. I leaned into her hands, craving her warmth. She leaned in, pressing her forehead to mine.

"My marriage to another man." she whispered seductively before pressing her lips to mine. In my moment of weakness, all of the boundaries that I had put up in my head about our physical relationship were down. **(A/N: If there is one thing that Andy and Eddie –ducks from wrath of vampires- agree on, it's this: Boundaries suck. I'm sure Bells and Char agree.) **My hands flew to her waist and her neck, securing her face and body to mine. I could feel her fingers twist themselves into my hair, pulling me even closer to her. I was concentrating so hard on what Charlotte's hands were doing that I completely forgot about my own. The hand around her waist fell to her right thigh. I hadn't noticed what she was wearing when I had walked in, but I wasn't surprised to feel the soft, silk fabric at her waist; it was what all of her night dresses were made out of. I nearly gasped as the fabric ended high on her leg. I could have sworn that I felt Charlotte smile under my lips. My fingers drew random patterns into her blazing skin, playing with the hem of her dress. Only a few more inches and…

_NO!_

I drew back, my breathing ragged. Charlotte smirked, her eyes alight with passion.

"You're not the only one who knows how to manipulate people, Andrew." She tapped my nose lovingly, and I chuckled as I pulled her down to lie next to me under the quilt of her bed. I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck, drinking in her delicious, floral scent. She sighed and welded her body to mine, perfectly at peace. Just before I could let her drift off to sleep, I had to know.

"Charlotte?" I began. A soft grunt came as a reply. "Who are you marrying?" The thought of her being with anyone else but me made me what to be sick to my stomach, and the words burned as I said them, but deep down inside of me, I still wanted to know. I heard Charlotte softly whisper before sleep took her:

"Edward Mason."

**Review, even if you hate me.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	19. Interlude

**No scathing reviews, I must admit myself...disappointed. But, just to clear the air, yes, Charlotte and Edward ARE getting married. Besides, the whole 'till death do us part' thing kind of has them covered if you think about it. I feel the need to warn you: Edward becomes kind of a Jacob in this story, in more ways then one. No matter how hard I try, I can't bring myself to hate Jacob. Think of it from his perspective: You pour your heart and soul out for the girl you love and then her boyfriend comes back and she completely kicks you to the curb. Wouldn't you be mad? This chapter was birthed out of boredom and a suggestion by a very opinionated reviewer who will probably hate me for making Edward marry someone who isn't Bella. Enjoy. The quote below basically describes this entire story and my writing style, in case people were wondering why I torture my characters.**

_"Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of."_

_-Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, eight rules for writing a short story_

EPOV

That was it. That was all it took. All the pieces of the puzzle finally made sense. Finally, I remembered.

"Charlotte." I breathed, the name taking on a new meaning for me.

"I told you, Edward. I did try to explain without shoving it in your face." My head fell into my hands, my fingers rubbing my temples. This was too much, much too much.

"God, I am such an IDIOT! How could I have forgotten her? I mean, my parents forced me to marry the poor girl, that's not something you forget!" Before Andrew had a chance to try to consol me, I felt a pair of arms grip me from behind. Before darkness took me, I heard Andrew screaming:

"He was in MID-SENTENCE Felix!" _Oh God, here we go again._

**Meanwhile, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean:**

BPOV

"Don't worry Bella; I'm sure everything will be fine." I whirled around in my seat as best I could and glared at the pixie next to me.

"Alice, the man I love, YOUR BROTHER, could be dead already, or worse, he's never coming back to Forks, I have to go home to a ticked off werewolf, and am probably going to live the rest of my life alone, and _you have the nerve to tell me everything will be okay?_" Alice looked down at her feet.

It had been three days since we left Forks. Three days since Alice had showed up and Edward had called. Three days since I had found out that the love of my existence thought I was dead and was, at this very moment, proceeding to make himself that way too. Three days was plenty of time for a vampire to ruin his life, especially if he was within traveling distance of the Vultori. My body convulsed in a shiver at the name, images of torn flesh and splashed blood rippling through my blood. I felt hot tears run from my eyes at the thought of _him_ lying cold and lifeless. _Not for me_, I had sworn to myself when we left, Edward's life was far too precious to be sacrificed over me.

"I'm sorry Bella." I heard Alice mutter. "I know how worried you are. I know how much you love him." Her voice grew quiet. "He loves you, you know. He always has, he's just…" Alice sighed, her mind grasping for the right word and coming up blank from the sound of it. "I don't know. He's the world's biggest masochist and an idiot to boot." I had tuned her out, not wanting to hear her claims of Edwards love for me. All this horror and fear, even death, if I were to meet it on this trip, I could handle; my heart could live on, in a fashion. I could go back to Jacob; I could heal, after time; lots and lots of time. But _hope_? No, hope would destroy me where everything else had failed to. I had all but accepted the fact that Edward wasn't ever coming back, why couldn't he just stay away? Why did he have to torment me?

"Bella?" Alice put her hand on my shoulder to make sure that I was listening.

"Yes, Alice?" I turned to look at her face. Her eyes were wide with fear and her lips were trembling.

"Bella, I'm scared." My sisterly feelings for Alice resurfaced and I wrapped my arms around her and placed her head on my shoulder as she dry sobbed into my shirt.

"Come on, Al, you can see the future, and you said that they had told him no." I looked down at her, fear coming back to me, chocking me with its hands. "They did say no, didn't they?" she nodded into my shoulder.

"Yes, yes they did, but, Bella" she looked into my eyes, terror permeating the liquid gold. "Bella, right after they did, Edward, he just…disappeared. He wasn't dead, but I couldn't see him anymore. It was as if his future had blacked out. I haven't had a vision of him since we left Atlanta."

"Alice, how is that possible?" I was suddenly reminded of Jacob and how Alice's gift didn't work on the werewolves either. "Alice, could it be like with the werewolves?" terror rocked my body. "You don't think that the Vultori could be using werewolves to kill people could they?" Alice pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"No, that kind of inter-species cooperation is way beyond them. I think that they have him imprisoned with another vampire: one that can inhibit powers, or at least mine. He must be another prisoner like Edward."

"Why? Couldn't he just be living there, under the Vultori's care?" didn't Edward say something about the three heads of Volterra having some sort of guard? That was just the kind of person that they would love to have on it.

"No, if he was on the guard, then all of my visions about Volterra would disappear because he would always be with them. It's so strange though, I could swear that I met someone who could block my visions once before." **(A/N: Remember Andrew's little comment about Jasper and Alice making a good couple? I do not waste words.) **

Alice's eyes glazed over, signaling a vision. I waited patiently for her to come back, but after a few minutes, I was starting to squirm in my seat. Alice's eyes finally closed again, and she turned to me, her face radiating with a brilliant smile.

"What? What did you see?" I asked her frantically. Her smile grew, if possible, even wider.

"You have no idea how lucky we are, Bella. With any luck we might even have time to go shopping!" She turned in her seat so that we were facing each other. "I know where they're keeping him, and that he has a snowball's chance in hell of them killing him because he asked them too." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on her headrest. "Oh, Ed, you're going to have to do better than that to get yourself killed, believe me." She whispered so softly that I didn't know if she really said it or not.

I followed suit and let my mind drift off into sleep. My last thoughts before the darkness of unconsciousness took we were:

_Two days. Please Edward, just wait two more days. I'm coming._

**Back in Italy**

EPOV

Felix threw me back in Andrew's room after a very unproductive second meeting with Aro, Marcus and Caius. Actually, unproductive was probably not a proper definition. Aro had, once again, asked me to reconsider my decision, and I had, once again, refused. I looked up; Andrew hadn't moved an inch.

"So, how did it go?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Basically, Aro asked me to join his cult, and I told him to go off himself." I answered, smiling at the memory of Aro's outraged thoughts.

"Rock on man!" Andrew exclaimed as he helped me too my feet and into the chair I had occupied before we were rudely interrupted. "So," he said after we had settled again. "Where were we? Ah, yes, your epiphany." He looked down again, avoiding my eyes. "It's amazing how much one forgets when one's not paying attention, isn't it?"

"But, Charlotte, if I ever met anyone who was unforgettable, she would be it." I looked over to the bed in the corner of the apartment. "That was hers. She had it moved to the house after…" I couldn't bring my self to say it. _After the wedding._ I finished in my head.

"Whatever happened to the roof? That roof you were talking about earlier? You said that it had something to do with Charlotte? Do you remember?"

I racked by brain, and I found an image almost instantly: a dark haired woman, standing on the edge of a twenty story building, her toes gripping the edge. I looked at Andrew, the memory of my first encounter with the woman that would soon be my wife rushing back to me.

"She was going to jump."

"WHAT?!" he yelled, jumping out of his chair, knocking it back to the floor. "Why would she even THINK that her dying would help anything?" for a second, my mind jumped to the image of by beautiful Bella, jumping from that cliff to her death, and my heart broke again.

"Maybe she would have rather been dead than without you by her side." Andrew slowly sat down and replaced the chair to its normal place. He ran his fingers through his hair in disbelief.

"Why would she do that? Why would she destroy herself? Did she even consider what it would have done to me?" his shoulders were shaking with dry sobs. I was reminded of the way my mind had found a way around staying with Bella when I had decided to leave.

"Maybe she thought that she was replaceable, that you could just live on after she was gone. Maybe she thought that you could have a normal existence after she had left your life. Maybe she thought that it was all for the best." I looked down at the floor to hide the sadness in my eyes.

"We're not talking about Charlotte anymore, are we?" he paused. "Tell me, Edward. Tell me how you met her."

I did as he asked.

**Tomorrow you get the first ever Charlotte/Edward interaction. I have to go to bed now because my butt aches like crazy from sitting here since 11:30 this morning. Thank you to all who reviewed, even if you were mad at me. I still love you. Review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	20. First Sight Part II

**Hello lovies! 50 REVIEWS?! My other story only has 17! You like, you really like me! No one has threatened to kill me yet, so I take it that you guys see that the wedding is not the most horrible thing in the world. This chapter is kind of like that one scene in Titanic when Jack first meets Rose, but I did try to make it different. I added a few things to Eddie's back story just so the scene could work. I wrote this in like, two hours so don't expect as much goodness as usual. i won't be updating tomorrow because I'm not coming home until early Saturday morning. I will still try to update on Saturday because I'm going to try to write some of the next chapter tomorrow: The Wedding. Enjoy.**

_Mia: Arranged marriage? I mean, come on, who would agree to an arranged marriage? -pause- You did. You agreed to an arranged marriage._

_Grandma: He became my best friend. We were very fond of each other._

_Mia: Well, I'm sorry Grandma, but I dream of love, not fondness._

_-"Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement"_

EPOV

_I hate my parents! How could they just spring this on me like it's no big deal? _I thought as I wandered aimlessly through the streets of Chicago. Earlier that night, I had been having a relatively good day, but now, now I felt like my world had turned into hell. My parents had, for no apparent reason, decided that they should get me a wife so that their relationship with another family wouldn't be ruined. At least they had had the decency to tell me who I was supposed to marry: a young woman named Charlotte Brewster.

I had seen her before, she certainly was beautiful. But the pair of us had never met before and here we were, both of our families expecting us to spend the rest of out lives together. It was like something out of a Shakespearean tragedy. For all we knew, we could totally hate each other with a passion to rival grizzlies.

If I ever married, I wanted it to be for love not _convenience. _

I walked down my favorite ally, the one I went to when I didn't want anyone to find me. The darkness and the shadows were, against my initial expectations, comforting and warm instead of threatening and cold. My mind wandered, thinking of ways to murder my parents, preferably slowly and painfully. I had just settled on decapitation by dull hedge clippers when I heard a crunching beneath my feet. I looked down at my feet, a small slip of paper peaking out from the edge of my right shoe.

I bent down to pick up the paper. It had been raining earlier that morning, so the ground was still damp in that part of town. The ink on the paper was smeared along the edges where my shoe had stepped on it, but it was obviously a letter. It was embedded with many ridges, showing that it had been folded over several times, but the paper had been open when I picked it up. _But that would mean that it fell._

I looked up, not expecting to see anything left of whatever or whoever dropped it. Boy was I wrong. Without any thought of my own my legs started running towards the entrance to the warehouse to the left of me. The old buildings in this part of town were left over and abandoned from the coal industry of the last century. Fortunately, that meant that there was no chance of it spontaneously caving in. Unfortunately, it also meant that the building was built before they outfitted any building over ten stories with lifts.

_Oh, this is going to kill. _I raced up the stairs, my legs burning with my exertions. No wonder my cousin was in such great shape from running stadiums all the times. I kept my ears open for a sign of a scream or a very unappetizing crunch, but none came. I ignored the pain in my muscles as the screamed for rest. I slammed through the doors as the top of the stairwell with my last bit of energy.

She was still there, standing on the edge of the roof, looking down at the street below her. Her dark hair fanned out behind her, exposing the tears that were flowing down her face. I had only seen the girl in front of me once or twice, but I knew who she was: Charlotte Brewster, the woman my mother told me I was to marry. Once again, my body did not wait for confirmation from my mind.

"Don't do it." I called, still keeping a distance from her, not wanting to scare her into jumping. Her head whipped around, shocked. The movement almost caused one of her feet to slip.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" she turned her head back to the street. I took one step closer to her, my palms outstretched in a gesture of peace. Her head turned again. "I mean it!" she screeched, her voice breaking. "I'll let go!" One more step, I was almost to the ledge, my body almost parallel to hers. I put my hands in my pockets, trying to show her that I meant her no harm.

"No, I don't think that you will." I said, my eyes snaking around to look at her reaction. Her eyebrows had pulled together, and her mouth had dropped in her anger.

"What do mean, no I won't. Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what I will and will not do? You don't know me!" _Rage, good; use that to your advantage. _

"Well, my mother's brother is a psychologist and whenever I go to his house in Miami he gives me lectures about the acute inner workings of the mind. So, I can say with reasonable certainty that you would have jumped already if you really wanted to end your life." Charlotte blinked, not sure of what to make of my explanation.

"You-you're just trying to distract me! Go away! Leave me in peace! Just let me die!" _Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought._

"I can't do that, though. I'm involved now. You try to jump, and I'm going to have to stop you." He eyes flew to mine, panic intermingling with the ocean blue color.

"Don't absurd, you'd be killed."

"I have really fast reflexes. Comes from years of fencing practice." A soft giggle escaped her lips. "When I was younger, one of my cousins dared me to stand on the edge of the roof of their summer house. What he didn't tell me was that his sister was planning to come to. She knocked into me on accident and I fell fifteen stories onto cold pavement." I glanced over to Charlotte, pleased by her look of fear in her eyes.

"Let me tell you, hitting the ground, especially hard pavement, for the first few seconds it feels like nothing has happened; then the pain starts. The doctor told me that I had broken one of my arms and my entire left leg." I shook my head, memories flying back to me. "Pain like that, it hits you like a fire burning all over your body. You can't breath, you can't think, at the very least not about anything but the pain and the blood." I sighed. "Which is why I am not looking forward to trying to save you." I leaned in closer; close enough to whisper in her ear. "But, like I said, I don't have a choice. Actually, I was kind of hoping that you would come back and get me off the hook here."

Charlotte looked down at the ground, looking as if she was seizing up her options. I reached out my hand, brushing it against hers.

"Come on," I whispered in her ear, knowing that her resolve was slipping. "You don't want to do this, not really." She nodded slightly and slipped her hand through mine, my other arm slipped around her waist, turning her so that she was looking at me. "There we go, that's better isn't it?" her laugh was still weak but there seemed to be no danger in her eyes.

"Do you always do this kind of thing? Running around saving damsels in distress from untimely deaths?"

"Well, everyone needs a hobby, don't they?" she shrugged.

"This is true, but I don't think that this is the kind of hobby I should have: Being rash and jumping off if buildings because my mother and father are demons from hell." I smirked, remembering my earlier thoughts and how similar they were to hers now.

"Why is that?"

"They're forcing me to marry someone I've never even met before. I'm trying not to be judgmental about him, but that's kind of hard when I love someone else." My mind snapped back to the present. "So, now, I'm going to be forced to spend the rest of my life with someone I don't love and might not even like." She looked at me, her head tilted to the side. "You seem nice, can I marry you?" _Oh, the irony._

"I'll see what I can do. I am rich you know.'

"Eh, doesn't matter." She paused. "How rich?"

"Very."

"Still doesn't matter. How very?" I laughed with her as we walked towards the door to the stairwell, out hands still linked. "I'll race you down the stairs."

"No, I think that my legs are still scared from running up here."

"Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure. And I never said we were going to use the steps." Without another word, Charlotte hoisted herself onto the railing and disappeared from sight. _Never thought of that._ I followed her quickly, laughing all the way. It was late at night so I was pretty out of it when I came to the end.

"Hey!" Charlotte exclaimed when I landed, face first, on her body. The back of my head had landed on her stomach so I had to twist to look at her face. "I know I said I marry you, but I never cleared you raping me."

"Well, excuse me, but I can't seem to help myself. You're too beautiful for your own good." I held out a hand to help her up, which she gladly took. Once the pair of us were both on our feet, I led her out of the door and to the ally.

"You should go home, get some sleep. You appear to have a very big day ahead of you tomorrow." I turned to walk back towards my house when I felt a pair of arms pull me into a hug.

"Thank you, whoever you are. You saved my life tonight. I really don't know how to thank you." She let go and I felt a twinge of disappointment at the loss.

"You say that like we'll never see each other again. You know the city, everyone runs into each other sooner or later." She turned back, her eyes thoughtful.

"Maybe it will be sooner." She raised one of her hands in a half-wave and slipped out onto the street. I stood back and watched her leave, her dark hair swaying in the slight breeze.

"Farewell, Charlotte Brewster. We shall meet again." I turned back to walk to my house, thinking of ways to apologize to my already distraught mother. _Maybe this whole marriage thing isn't going to be that bad after all._

**If I am ever forced to get married, I want someone like Edward. I hope is wasn't too out of character and that you still don't hate me! Remember, no update tomorrow, but you will get one on Saturday! Review**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	21. Pain

**Okay, I lied, the wedding isn't going to be in this chapter but the next. This is a 'between' chapter. It wasn't always that way but a scene popped up in my head and I had to write about it. I am so sorry about the VERY OOC line by Alice in Chapter 19. It was written at 11:30 at night, I was delirious and I changed it this afternoon. Ever since I posted this afternoon, I have been getting the vibe that people are having a hard time wrapping their minds around the idea of Edward liking someone other than Bella. May I first say that I don't blame you, I had a hard time just thinking it up. A couple of you have said that Edward would never love anyone but Bella, and I agree to an extent. It's true that the Edward we KNOW, Edward the 107 year old vampire, would never do such a thing. But, think of it from the perspective of Edward the 16 year old human. Bella isn't even born yet, and Edward is still just a child. He is a hormonal teenager who doesn't know any better and doesn't know the ways of the world yet. For lack of a better phrase, He's only human. Do you understand now? _You can't think of Edward the vampire and Edward the human as the same person, because the fact of the matter is they're not._**** Enjoy.**

EPOV

"So it was you that I could smell on her that night. I should have known after the pair of you started spending so much time together after you were married." Andrew's words made me jump. I would have thought that speaking of the act that had bound Charlotte to me in a way that should have been reserved for him would have been taboo. He glanced up, obviously amused at my shock. "Just because that was one of the worst days of my life, doesn't mean I don't want to talk about it. I'm not that sensitive."

"Right, I just would have thought…I don't know." I scoffed at myself, then remembered Andrew telling me about his inner struggle between being my friend and killing me. "Why haven't you done it yet?"

"Done what?"

"Killed me, pummeled me into chalk dust, challenged me to a duel to the death, that kind of thing." Andrew stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing. He fell off of his chair he was laughing so hard.

"You-you-you think that I-," he gasped between fits of laughter. "You think that I would tell you all of this and kill you?" he managed to pull himself back up onto his chair and look me in the eye, still succumbing to fits of giggles every once in a while. "Besides, it's not like you knew about me and Charlotte. And even if you did, I wouldn't have blamed you for marrying her anyway. And besides, it's not as if you slept with her or anything, so I say: no harm, no foul."

"So you're not going to spontaneously pull out a flamethrower?"

"I don't even think that I have one. Jane probably does, though. Why? Do you want me too?" As soon as he said the words, his smile faded.

"I wouldn't mind it." Andrew looked down at his shoes.

"I'm sorry Edward, I just...forgot." he opened his mouth as if to say something, than closed I hastily.

"You have that look again."

"What look? I have a look?" he was trying to look surprised, but I was beginning to be able to tell when he was acting and when he really felt something; so I knew that he was just trying to distract me from what was going on in his head.

"Yes, you have a look when you think that you should tell me something, but you don't want to." I looked his face over once again; now it was riddled with guilt and embarrassment. "Andrew, if you don't tell me, I'll only assume that it's far worse than it is." He looked down and then up at me, the knowledge that he had been caught written all over his face.

"I was there." The words held no meaning to me.

"Where?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders and rubbing my temples. Andrew was not making this easy and painless like I had hoped it would be. In fact, he seemed to be examining his fingernails very intently. "I swear to God, Andrew, if you don't tell me I'll-," Andrew leapt from his seat.

"You'll what? Kill me, boy? _**HERE I STAND!**_" His voice reverberated off the walls, making it seem like it was everywhere at once. If I had ever feared death in Andrew's presence, it was nothing compared to the fear that enveloped me now. I tried to scramble from my seat, desperate to distance myself from his terrifying form. He had me pined to the wall before I had time to blink, his arm pressing down on my throat, rendering my immobile.

He was a terrifying sight. His nostrils flared out, his eyes darker and more animalistic than I had ever seen them. I squirmed under their scrutiny, struggling uselessly against the arm that held me to the wall. His teeth gleamed in what little light that was available in the small room, the razor sharp edges seeming more menacing than I ever thought possible. I was certain that I was going to die, right that second, and I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't have welcomed it; it would give me that chance to see my Bella again. But instead of ripping my throat out and tearing me to pieces, Andrew only spoke.

"You think that you know everything there is to know about pain?" he spat, flicking flecks of venom on my face, the acidic smell stinging my nose. "You think that you have it bad Edward? You think that this is the worst thing that could ever happen to you? Well, let me put it in perspective for you; YOU'RE not the one who had to watch the woman you loved walk down the aisle to another man. YOU'RE not the man who had to leave, knowing how happy she would be without you. YOU'RE not the one who had to watch, helpless, as she tried to kill herself, over and over, while you were gone. YOU'RE not the one who had to watch her live in another man's arms. YOU'RE not the one who had to watch her succumb to grief after her best friend died. YOU'RE not the one who exposed her, causing her death." He closed his eyes, tears of venom leaking out of them. "And YOU'RE not the one who had to watch her die; who had to listen to her last heartbeat, knowing that you would never see her smile or hear her laugh or feel her warmth again." He paused and I finally found my voice.

"And you're not the one who had to hear her scream." I saw Andrew's shocked face, and my world became as night.

APOV

I let Edward fall to the ground unconscious. **(A/N: Don't worry, he's not dead, if that's what you're thinking. I'm not that cruel.) **I felt guilty about scaring him that badly, but I was just so angry; at him, at the world, at the Vultori for keeping me here for all these years when they knew that all I wanted was to die.

Aro thought that he was being merciful by letting me live here, with all the comfort I could ever desire, but what did that old bat know? He had never been in love in his life, much less lost someone he had loved. He was like my own vicious Prince of Verona, come to 'spare me'. _Tis torture and not mercy._ I thought.

Despite my better judgment, I let my head fall back on the head of my seat and I imagined her face. It was amazing that after all these years I could still picture her eyes, the shape of her lips, the wave in her hair. She had often told me that she avoided thinking of me because she didn't do me justice. I had always laughed it off, thinking that I would never get the chance to forget her.

I never even contemplated the possibility of losing her.

I looked back to Edward, to the man that had, unknowingly, stolen the woman I loved. He had bound himself to her with vows and rings, but she had never loved him in that way. Sure, she would come to bed and I would smell him on her, but never enough to suggest…

But I had had my doubts, especially on that day. The day that I had first laid eyes on my adversary that never knew what he was. What I had been going to tell Edward was this: I had been at the wedding. I looked at him one last time before picking him up and placing him on Charlotte's old bed.

I went to my shelves and picked up an old copy of _**The Phantom of the Opera**_ by Gaston Leurox **(A/N: You guys should really read this, it is **_**so**_** different from the musical!) **I sat down on my chair, my head hanging towards the floor and my legs over the back, ready to lose myself in the words just like Erik did with his music. I knew that when he woke up Edward would want to know what had angered me so badly.

**Remember, no update until Satuday! Please review, even it's to say that you are going to come after me with a flamethrower that you got from Jane.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	22. Ultimate Suffering

**Hey guys, I know that it is very late, but it still counts as Saturday for the next 22 minutes! This is the chapter with the Wedding though you don't see much of it. For the people who reminded me not to use modern phrases, I really did try with this chapter and I think I did a good job with it. This chapter is kind of bi-polar because it is very fluffy in parts and very sad in others. I am going to make Andrew a Myspace, you know like other people have with the other Twilight characters! I may not update tomorrow because I a still drained from yesterday. Enjoy.**

_"Inigo Montoya: Fezzick, do you hear? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound when Rugan murdered my father, the man in black makes it now._

_Fezzick: How can you tell?_

_Inigo Montoya: His true love is marrying another tonight, so who else has the cause for ultimate suffering?"_

_-"The Princess Bride"_

EPOV

I awoke to a world of darkness. My mind tried desperately to make sense of the actions that occurred before I had passed out. _Wait, can vampires pass out? _I wondered. I remembered that Emmett had professed to have headaches once in a while. He thought that it was because he had had chronic migraines when he was human and they had carried over into this existence.

I had always been a very nervous child, and I was constantly having panic attacks up until I was twelve. The only reason that I remembered was that my cousin had been constantly trying to terrify me so that I would collapse. He appeared to get great entertainment out of this for reasons that I couldn't fathom. I tried to flex my fingers, feeling my knuckles ball up into a fist then relax again. My eyes moved sluggishly, trying to make out a point of light. Something happened then that I didn't understand.

I heard a voice: a soft voice humming a song that I only vaguely recollected. I felt the imprint of a hand working its way through my hair as if trying to comfort me. A pair of lips brushed along my forehead. Desperate to find whoever it was that was with me, I lifted a hand. I felt the tips of my fingers come in contact with skin, the warmth of it seeming to radiate within me as well. Without even thinking properly, I knew who it was:

"Bella." I sighed. Silence greeted my voice. Then a new voice, a different voice, spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'll just go." I heard the sound of footsteps going away from. A pause stopped them before the person they belonged to could leave. "And please don't be angry with him, he really is just trying to help."

My body suddenly caught up with my mind and my eyes opened.

"Wait!" I cried, knowing that it was a useless gesture. I opened my eyes to the sight of Andrew's apartment. My breathing was heavy, the shock of my encounter still not completely disappearing. I knew that voice, and it most certainly did not belong to Bella.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up." My eyes darted to Andrew, reading in one of his plush, velvet chairs. He looked almost amused. His easy smile vanished when he saw how I was: my right hand still outstretched towards my invisible visitor, my eyes still wild, and my breathing ragged. "Edward, are you okay?" He swung his legs back down to the ground and strode over to me, concern in his eyes. I had to struggle to get the words out.

"I thought I saw-," my rational mind tried to make sense of the impossible, telling me that I was being foolish. "Never mind. It's not important."

"If you say so." He replied, trying to hide the skepticism in his voice. He looked sown at his shoes for what felt like the thousandth time. "Sorry," he whispered. "About before. I didn't mean to, I just kind of acted on an impulse."

"It's alright. I would have been more surprised if you hadn't gotten angry with me. But, out of curiosity, what did I do exactly? And what did you mean when you said 'there'?" I winced at the memory of his anger. Not that I blamed him for it, of course, but it had still be enough to make a vampire have a panic attack.

"It wasn't anything that you did, Edward. You were just the unfortunate bystander that got to feel eighty five years of anger. It was inexcusable for me to behave so, and I really am sorry." He paused, still looking guilty. "And, what I meant was is that I was at your wedding." I blinked, astonished.

"And I thought I was masochistic."

"Well, considering I was living in the church it was kind of hard not to notice." He suddenly broke out in a fit of giggles.

"What?" I asked, the giggles suddenly progressing into laughs.

"I get why she looked at you the way she did." I didn't remember much from that day but there was one thing that stood out above all the others: Charlotte poking her head around the corner of a door to get a look at who was there, and spotting me. She was outraged, especially after I winked at her. I quickly started laughing too.

"I remember that, she looked like she was going to punch me in the face, or worse!"

"It was even funnier close up!" his laughter died away gradually, as did mine. "She was so beautiful that day even more so than I had ever imagined she could look." The memory of Charlotte in her dress with her hair falling down in waves around her flashed through my mind, causing a surprising twinge in my heart.

"Yes, she certainly was." I softly laughed.

"What?" Andrew asked, looking confused.

"She was a good actress, smiling and laughing to please her family. But right at the end of the ceremony, all of that, the careful mask that she had composed, died and what I saw in her eyes almost made me say 'To hell with it all' and call the whole thing off."

"And what did you see?" I closed my eyes, forcing myself to remember.

"I saw all the sadness and despair and pain in all of the world at once. It broke my heart to see someone so wonderful in such pain. Charlotte deserved so much more than that." I could almost feel the tears in my eyes. I looked up again. "Well, that was my day, tell me about yours."

"Do you promise not to beat yourself up about it?"

"As always."

APOV

October 11, 1917** (A/N: I changed the year from 1916, so it hasn't been an entire year since the beginning of the story.) **Five months to the day since my life had begun anew. Five months since I had learned what happiness and joy were. Five months since I had met the love of my existence. Five months that I had thought were endless, that I had thought could never be interrupted. Five months that had led up to today: the day that I was to learn what ultimate suffering was.

Today I was going to lose Charlotte, forever. As of today, she would never be able to be mine. I knew that she loved me, and she had sworn that she would never love again if I left her, but today she was being bound to someone she didn't even know. I had no doubts that he, whoever he was, would see how wonderful she was and take care of her, but that did little to stop the pain that was coursing through my veins like the blood I lacked.

I sat in my room, staring, once again, at the ceiling, trying not to listen to the bustle of preparations being made around the parish. At times, having advanced hearing had its advantages. For instance, when you were being chased through a city's streets and you didn't want to be found, it was a gift from the gods. But, when you didn't want to even believe in, much less be aware of, what was going on around you, it could just be annoying.

Every new sound sent a new rift to slash itself into my heart: the wind as it rustled the soft white curtains, the cooking of various foods for the reception, the 'twang' of metal as it was being moved across stone, the rustle of fabrics. The worst were the people; voices that depicted images and thoughts that I had tried to avoid at all costs.

"Where do you think the flowers should go?"

"Is Edward going to stand on the left or right?" The name 'Edward' was repeated numerous times, so I assumed that he was to be the groom today. I only heard him speak twice, but he sounded nice and a little bit naïve, not at all like anyone who would ever hurt her. At least that little part of my mind was appeased for now.

"Oh my, Martha, that dress is simply heavenly! Charlotte will look like a dream in it."

"Thank you, Elizabeth. She's very excited about today! She's more than a match for your Edward." The soft tinkle of a mothers' laugh on their child's wedding day filled the air. I heard the sound of a door opening, than closing again.

"Charlotte, dear, finally! Your mother and I have been waiting for you."

"Hello, Mrs. Mason, I do apologize for being late!" My heart broke at the sound of her voice, so happy and light.

"Nonsense, dear, it's your wedding! Being late is you prerogative! And enough with that 'Mrs. Mason' nonsense call me Elizabeth, please. You are one of the family now." No response from Charlotte, so I could only assume she had only smiled. The distinct rustle of silk and tulle filled my ears, signaling that my love was being prepared for her dress. I had heard her mother describing it, and it was indeed, a dream. The simple, strapless design, with the spilt hem on the left side with all of that stitching embraced Charlotte's personality perfectly. Upon first inspection, it looked like any other pretty dress, but when looked at closer, it was seen to be exquisite**. (A/N: Go to** / **and look at style 7247) **

I went back to listening to the three women in the room next to mine, but I was surprised to hear only one heartbeat, frantic and emotional, and the sound of a person crying. Despite my better judgment, I raced out of my room and into the one next to mine. What I saw both made my heart burst and break at the same time. Charlotte was sitting on a chaise and crying into her hands, but she was…well, she was beautiful. No, beautiful didn't even begin to describe her, but the world had yet to come up with a term that would.

"Oh, Charlotte." I breathed before I could think better of it. She looked up and launched herself at me, burying her face in my chest. I let her cry until she was reduced to small hiccups. I gently gripped her shoulders and pushed her back to look at her face. Black eyeliner was smeared over her eyes and cheeks and her tears had made the rouge on her cheeks run. I used my thumbs to wipe away all of the streaks. "Now, look what you've done to all of your makeup, love. We can't send you in there looking like that." Charlotte's eyes darkened and she heaved on my chest, making me let go in my shock.

"You mean you're going to make me go through with this?" She asked in a shocked whisper. "I thought that you, _you_ of all people, would see how mad all this is and rescue me." Though I would never admit it to her, I had thought about it: about stealing her away with me and changing her into a vampire. I took a step towards her, but she only backed away further. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down to hide her tears. "Why are you here, Andrew? Do you wish to torture me as well?"

"Of course not my love. I shouldn't have come, but when I heard you crying…I just didn't think." I turned to walk out of the door. "I'm sorry." I felt her hand slip through mine.

"Come on, as you seem so keen to make me presentable." I let her pull me towards the chaise and I began to reapply her makeup. As I was putting powder on her skin to hide the blotches that had been created from her crying, she suddenly laughed.

"What is so funny, love?" her eyes looked at me apprehensively.

"Where did you learn your fine skills of makeup application?" I smiled at her, making her heart speed up just like it always did.

"Making men look like women requires skill; I was one of the only actors who never had to do that, so I usually helped with costumes and makeup. Closed eyes, please." I said as I reached for a stick of eyeliner.

"Really? I would have thought with your feminine looks you would have been a prime subject for the role of a woman." **(A/N: Ever since my mom started reading the whole story I showed her the pics on my profile and she thinks that the last Andy pic makes him look like Alice. I actually kind of agree. It's the hair. Oh, and HI MOM!) **I stopped mid eye.

"Should I resent that statement?" Charlotte started laughing again.

"Of course not, I love the way you look." She reached up and ran a hand through my hair and over my eyes. I went back to lining her eyes, trying not to react in the way that I wanted to.

"Look up, please."

"Have you seen him?" she asked, knowing that I would know what she was talking about.

"No, but I have heard him speak a few times. He seems nice, sweet. I think you'll like him." Charlotte snorted.

"You're just saying that to make feel better about all this. Liking him would be most inconvenient considering I have sworn to loathe him for all eternity." It was my turn to laugh.

"He is more than a match for you, I think. He'll never cause you any harm. He's going to love you." I put down the rouge I had been applying to her cheeks. She opened her eyes, looking at me, confused and sad at the same time. "How could he not?" Before I could stop her, Charlotte had her arms around my neck, her warm lips on mine. I clung to her with as much force, trying not to break her. I poured all the passion and love that I could into that kiss, something inside me knowing that it would be our last for a long time. She finally pulled back, new tears threatening to fall.

"Please, Andrew, don't make me do this. Don't put me through this hell. Even if Edward is as nice as you say he is, I still don't think he would let me see you. I know. We'll be parted forever. He won't let me. Please, Andrew, I love you." It was hard not to start kissing her again as she pleaded with me.

"And I you, but I can't just take you away. Think of what you would do to your family! They would think you dead or worse, and your mother would die from the grief, you know that as well as I." Charlotte nodded slightly, but still did not look convinced. "At least this way you can have a chance at a normal life.'

"Please, don't start that." She said, exasperated.

"Do what?"

"Act like you're no good for me, that I wouldn't be happy if I chose to live my life with you! That's completely mad and wrong besides, so just stop before I hit you or something." She considered her options briefly. "On second thought, I probably wouldn't because you would break my hand if I did." A small smile crept its way up her lips. I could hear the sound of approaching footsteps. Before I could warn her, I was gone from Charlotte's arms and in the small closet.

"Charlotte, honey, you have to go now." A voice that I did not recognize said. When I heard that the new heartbeat was far enough away, I stepped out and was back at her side. She smiled and held out her arm.

"Care to escort a lady to church?"

"Certainly." I took a hold of her and walked with her to the door that she was supposed to walk through to the church.

"What are you doing/" I asked as she poked her head around the corner of the door. When she gave no response, I put my head above hers to see what she was looking for. That's when I saw him. Edward. That's when my heart sank.

He was perfect: the bronze hair, the green eyes, the dreamy smile, it was more than any woman, much less Charlotte, could ever want. The thought that has haunted me for weeks finally came to the surface. This was more than just a ceremony, more than just a necessary evil. No, this was so much more than any of that.

I was being replaced.

My brain was painfully pondering this new epiphany when I caught the look on Charlotte's face. Her eyes were wild, anger had caused a rush of blood to her face turning it red, and her mouth was open in outrage. She looked like she was going to kill someone.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Her eyes never left him.

"That bastard!" I nearly chocked on my own laughter. It appeared that Edward was doing the same.

"What are you talking about?"

"HIM! I know him! I met him a few weeks ago, but he never mentioned who he was! That son of a-,"

"Easy, that's your future mother-in-law you're talking about." I scoffed, causing Charlotte to giggle. I could hear whispers and knew that I didn't have much time.

"Charlotte, I have to go." She wheeled, panic in her eyes. She clung onto the sleeve of my shirt.

"No, don't go, I need you." She begged, breaking my heart.

"I know, but I must, love." I bent down to press my lips once more to hers, once again causing her to cling to me with everything she had. When I knew that I had only seconds left, I gently untangled her arms from around my neck, looked at her one more time, and ran.

When I got back to my room, I collapsed onto my bed, blocking out most of the wedding. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear him pledging himself to her, and her to him. I didn't want to think of how in love with him she would be after a few months. He was so much better for her than I was, and she was bound to see that, bound to see what a monster I was when she could have someone like that. I tried so hard to block out all the things that he could do with her that I never could. **(A/N: For the record, no, Edward and Charlotte never had sex. My mom was expressing some concern over lemons, and I quickly reassured her that no such thing would occur.) **

Right before I let my mind slip into obscurity, a small sentence leaked through my careful control:

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

I screamed into my pillow, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces, and the feeling of ultimate suffering coursing through my veins.

**For the next chapter: the wedding night, spent talking, no lemons, I swear! Charlotte is very mad at Edward, who takes great delight in her aggravation. I liked this chapter because it show Andy's insecurity with what he is. I told him and Edward were alike, didn't I? Review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	23. Forgiveness

**I know that I haven't updated in a while, but it was only because I was so bushed yesterday. Please don't hurt me! This chapter is a 'continuation' of the last one because we are basically skipping over from Andrew's version of the wedding to Edward and Charlotte's. Well, not the wedding, but the night after. Don't you get excited you sick perverts! NO LEMONS HERE! Tee hee. I wanted to thank the 9 people who voted in the poll and the two people that guessed right, whoever you may be. This chapter was birthed from a vision of sorts: Edward and Charlotte sitting on a rooftop drinking hot chocolate. The first part was also birthed from a vision I had this morning while watching the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice of Edward telling his mother off for making Charlotte marry him. That boy is too noble for his own good! Oh, by the way, there is absolutely no Andrew in this chapter. He is mentioned once and that is it. Enjoy.**

_" The Man in Black: Let me explain._

_Vizzini: There's nothing to explain. You;re trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolan."_

_-"The Princess Bride"_

EPOV

"Mother, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." I mused as I paced the length of our study after the wedding. I was still in my tuxedo, the tie and collar undone to allow me some room to breathe. Mother was lounging in the chaise next to the red-brick fireplace, looking as if she could care less and excusing herself by saying that the day's excitement had taken all her energy. Father said nothing.

"Whatever are you talking about, Edward? Don't you like her?" she asked. I loved my mother, but sometimes I wanted to wring her thin neck for being so thick.

"Of course I do, mother, but…" I didn't dare tell her about a few weeks ago when I had stopped Charlotte from - well I just thought that keeping mum about the whole thing would have been the wiser choice of the two.

"But what? You like her, she's bound to like you, what's the problem?" She was right about something: I did like Charlotte; much more than I would ever admit to anyone, much less my mother. But when she had said that she had someone else, I had almost marched up my mother and made her call the whole thing off that night. Almost.

I had wanted to, I really did. But when I had to look in my mother's eyes and outright defy her, I couldn't do it. That woman terrified me when she was angry; it was one of the reasons that I had spent so much time at my uncle's in the summer despite my cousins' constant teasing. For a woman as kind and loving as she was, it was amazing how much she could look like a mass murderer when she wanted to.

"Mother, did you ever consider the implications that our…marriage," I choked out the word, "could have on her life?" Mother opened one eye slightly, her face a mask of indifference.

"That, Edward, is not your problem. If she had wanted to marry, she should have found someone herself before her mother, god bless her, had to find someone for her. She is ours now, and she shall be well looked after. She should be grateful." I stared at my mother in shock.

"For heaven's sake mother, she's not a puppy! She's a human being who shouldn't have to do anything just because her _mother _says that she has to!" That caught her undivided attention.

She sat up and marched up to me, staring me down as best she could; at sixteen, I was already a full foot taller than my mother.

"What are you implying? That you don't want me to try to give you the best? That I should just keep out of your life and sit back to watch you ruin it? Do you wish that I wasn't your mother?" I stared down at my mother, hearing the fury burn in her voice. I opened my mouth to respond, but father interrupted before I could say anything.

"Of course not, Elizabeth. Edward loves you, as do I. He is only saying that maybe this girl might have had a life ahead of her that we were not aware of. He's only trying to be nice. But you are right; we cannot worry about that now. She's part of our family and she is going to stay that way."

He shifted his head to the side, indicating that now would be a good time for me to make a quick exit. I mouthed a thank you and quickly obliged. I knew that I would be doing a lot of explaining in the next few hours.

I looked towards the stairs to my bedroom and thought that they had never looked more ominous than they did now, when I knew what lay in store at the top.

CPOV

_That window is looking very inviting right now. _I thought as I lay on the bed in Edward's, no, _our_, room. I was beginning to think that I would have been better off if I had jumped off that building than sitting here in hell. Okay, admittedly, it could have been a lot worse: I could have been married to a thirty year old pervert and have lost my virginity by now. But, I had a sixteen year old, somewhat normal, boy who seemed like the sweetest person alive. _Yes, it could be worse, old girl._

I heard a soft knock at the door.

"Who's there? If that's you Edward, I really don't want to talk to you." I turned over so my back was to the door. I heard the door handle turn and someone walk in. The weight of a body pressed down on the other side of the bed.

"I come bearing gifts." Despite my better judgment, I turned to see Edward sitting crossed legged holding two cups of what smelled like hot chocolate. My stubborn side kicked in and I turned back over, boring my face into a pillow. Edward sighed and put the cups down on the nightstand. I felt his weight shift so that he was lying next to me.

"Charlotte, are you really mad at me?" I winced at the pain in his voice.

"Yes!" I snapped immediately before I had time to really think about it. I wanted to believe that I was mad at Edward, but deep down, I knew that I really wasn't. My mind had twisted itself into thinking that Edward had meant to humiliate and torture me when he hadn't told me who he was. But the more I thought about it, the more holes I found in that theory. Edward had been so kind to me, he had saved my life. He had been gentle with me when he had tried to stop me from doing anything that I didn't want to do. _By all rights, I should love him._

I turned slowly so that I could look at him.

"No. If anything, I really should be offering you eternal servitude for saving my life." He shook his head gently and looked down, tracing the pattern of the bedspread with his index finger. "What?"

"No, you don't."

"Don't what?"

"Forgive me. I know that you still hate me Charlotte, don't say that you don't just to spare my feelings, it'll only make me feel even worse about what I've done." I saw a tear trail down his cheek and onto the sheets.

"Whatever are you talking about?" I asked as softly and gently as I could. I had many hours of convincing Andrew that he wasn't as monstrous as he said he was backing me up. Edward looked up and I gasped at the pain in his eyes.

"Don't give me that, you know what I've done. I've stolen you. I've taken you away from your life and your love and you can't even muster up enough anger to yell at me? Not even once?" he was up and pacing the floor, my eyes watching him.

"Of course not, Edward. It's not as if you had any choice in the matter. It's not as if you singled me out so you could make me miserable." His eyes snapped up at the last three words.

"Are you?" He asked.

"Am I what?"

"Miserable. Here. With me." He punctuated every word with urgency and guilt, two emotions he, off all people, defiantly didn't deserve. I sat up, crossed my legs and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You are so thick." I almost missed how Edward's eyes grazed my body. It wasn't in a pervy way, like I was used to dealing with. It was almost as if he was admiring me. A spark of desire appeared in his eyes but he didn't say anything about it. He was classy; I had to give him that. "I'd hate to let those go to waste." I said, nodding towards the still steaming cups of hot chocolate on the night table.

"Your wish is my command." Edward picked them up again and looked towards the window. He looked back at me. "Come on, I want to show you something." He held out his hand to lift me off the bed. "You might need that." He gestured towards the wool blanket that was folded neatly on a rocking chair in the corner. I grabbed it and slipped it around my shoulders.

"Hold these please." Edward handed me the cups and started feeling the bricks above the small balcony that led from his window.

"What, exactly, are you doing?"

"Wait a moment. Charlotte, if you ever want to adapt to life as a Mason, you have to learn patience." He turned and smiled crookedly. I could see why my friends were so obsessed with him.

"Yes, because that wouldn't be patronizing at all." Edward rolled his eyes and went back to feeling the bricks.

"Ha ha, there you are!" His hand disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a piece of string.

"What is that?"

"Did you not hear me when we went over this a second ago?"

"Shut up." He smiled again, pulling on the rope. A series of clunks and rattles ensued and after a mess of wood and rope untangled itself, I was able to see what was before me: "It's a ladder." By the time I was done with my epiphany Edward had already sprinted up and was on the roof, peering down at me.

"Come on, Charlotte." He held out his hands for me to give him our drinks. I looked up and down the makeshift ladder, doubt clouding my brain. _Come on, before you chicken out. _I closed my eyes as I lifted my self up to the roof. I felt Edward's hands at my waist, guiding me to a sitting position, my legs pulled up to my chest.

"You can open your eyes now."

My eyes blinked themselves open to a beautiful sight. It was Chicago, but not the one that I knew. From the ground the city looked like a smog ridden hell-hole, but from the sky, it was more beautiful than I had ever imagined. The Mason's home was on the hill at the Upper East Side of the city, the highest point that you could get to and stay within the city limits. The lights that illuminated the windows of countless people lit up the ground like the constellations above us. The dull roar of jazz and speech mingled in the night air, creating a strange but fitting soundtrack to the atmosphere around me.

"Oh, Edward, it's gorgeous." I breathed, looking at the young man beside me. His eyes were sparkling in the moonlight, his teeth jumping out from the darkness. Not only could I see why my friends were all over this guy, but I was getting to the place where I didn't really blame them for it. I couldn't lie, Edward was handsome and nice to boot.

"I like to come out here to think when I can't sleep." He looked off into the night, his eyes far away.

"Do you do that often?"

"I have been, for the last few weeks. Ever since I met you." He looked over at me again, and I suddenly remembered the steaming beverage in my hand. I lifted the cup to my lips, savoring the sweet liquid that it contained.

"First, what does any of this have to do with me? Second, this is really good, what did you do to it?" He laughed at me again.

"To the first question, the reason that I have been coming up here is that I was thinking about right and wrong. Mostly about whether I would be considered a monster if I went through with my mother's plans, and if it would be wicked of me to covet you." I started.

"Interesting choice of words, covet. Pray tell, what makes you say that?"

"You were already in love by the time I found you. I knew that, and yet I make you marry me, that doesn't sound like something that you would take lightly, Charlotte." I took another sip, delaying my answer.

"I don't think you're evil, Edward, and I believe that I can consider myself an authority." He looked at me quizzically.

"You are not going to explain that are you?"

"Not at all." I answered, giggling at the look of mock outrage on Edward's face. We sat and drank the rest of out chocolates in silence.

"And to answer your second question, dash of cinnamon and a splash of buttermilk." He took our cups and disappeared to the balcony below.

"Buttermilk?" I asked in disbelief to no one in particular. I looked down to where Edward had disappeared, considering all that lay before me in his life. Our life. Despite all the hatred and horror that I had expected didn't come, but another realization dawned on me that I did not expect.

I crawled down the ladder, landing with an ungraceful hop. I heard a giggle from the direction of the bed. Edward had apparently dressed for bed while I had been musing on the roof. My eyes grazed the muscles of his chest under his shirt. I thought of the mirror that Maria had given me when I had left Scotland four years ago. I imagined that he would look like a lost Greek god of beauty if he ever looked into it.

Edward pulled back the blankets, an obvious invitation for me to join him. I put my hands on my hips, letting the blanket fall from my shoulders. I gave him a look of mock disbelief, which he quickly countered with a look of hurt. His eyes bored into mine. After a few moments, I sighed dramatically and snuggled under the covers next to him.

"Would it be rude of me to wrap my arms around your waist." I heard him whisper, the smile that had to be on his face evident in his voice. I tossed my body so that I was facing him.

"Yes, but if you wouldn't mind losing an arm or two, be my guest." He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. I thought of something. "What am I supposed to tell the group of screaming girls who want to know how you are in bed?" Edward blushed, the red of his face obvious even in the dark. "Aw, little Eddie's embarrassed." I teased, making his face get even redder.

"Use your imagination Charlotte. I'm sure you have one."

"Are you sure that's wise? I mean, the entire city could start thinking we're going at it like bunnies."

"Okay, now you're just trying to embarrass me." I laughed again. I reached up to brush his hair from his eyes. For a moment after I did, I thought I saw an uncommon emotion in his eyes: sadness. I quickly filed it away to the back of my mind and flopped over to lie on my left side.

"Good night, Edward." I whispered, letting my mind drift into unconsciousness. Just before I was lost to the darkness I felt two things: the first was Edward wrapping his arms around me; one around my wais and the other on my shoulder. The other was a memory of a few moments ago, when I had thought of what life had in store for me with Edward. I remembered what I had thought when I had thought of all of that:

I had liked what I had seen. And that scared the shit out of me.

**I wrote this in the span of two hours so don't hate me if it sucks and is way OOC. I need a guy name that would fit the time for a new character. A new female is coming but I already have a name for her: Johanna. Please send me any advice, I would really appriciate it! Now if you'll excuse me I have to talk to a girl about a cousin.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**

**P.S. SUPERFLYINGTACKLE-POUNCES to the magnanimous people who reviewed over the last few days, I love you with all my heart, as do Andy and Char.**


	24. Lost and Found

**I am so sorry for not updating, but I spent the day with my Dad and I had to wake up at seven in the morning. You do get a chapter today, though! ALL HAIL! For the people that asked what time period the male name had to be, it was during the time that the story with Charlotte took place. I didn't write any updates with Andrew and Edward in Italy because it would just the same old conversation, and who wants to read that? I must warn you: Andrew won't be in the story much in the next few chapters on account of him being an idiot. He will still in the Italy scene next chapter, and any others that happen to appear, but he won't appear in the flash back story. I'm sorry for the Andrew fans, but, as the old saying goes (this is going to be the quote for the very last chapter! Yeah, I have it all planned out!) "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Enjoy. **

EPOV

Sunlight streamed though the open window of the bedroom, making me squint when I opened my eyes at last. My right hand flew up to my face to cover my eyes; I was surprised to learn that I had lost all feeling in my other arm. Upon looking down to learn the cause, I saw Charlotte, still sleeping peacefully. I brushed the stray hair away from her face, the events of last night coming back to me as if from a dream of a dream.

How exactly she didn't hate me, I still hadn't figured out; she must have the patience of a lost saint, I had concluded after thinking it over. She was a very odd girl, agreeing to sleep in another man's arms when she could have been in the arms of the man she loved.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't realize that I was stroking Charlotte's hair and arm. My mind snapped back to the present, shame coursing through my veins. I gently lifted her body so I could slip my arm from around her waist. I felt a slight emptiness at the loss, which surprised me.

I gazed silently at her sleeping form, bathed in the light of the dawn. Her soft skin seemed to glow, making her seem even more angelic than she did normally. The sun brought out the golden highlights in her hair, still smooth even when it looked like a haystack. I could only imagine how much work she had to put in to make it lie relatively flat. Even with sleep still hanging over her, the red never left her cheeks and her lips. Suddenly, I was seized with the intense desire to kiss her.

I leapt from the bed in shock, trying desperately to convince myself that it was only her beauty that was making feel the way that I was, not her herself. I would have banged my head against the wall if I had not feared that it would wake her. Before I had the chance, I saw her stir out of the corner of my eye. I cautiously slid back onto the bed next to her, keeping my hands to myself this time. After a few moments I saw her scrunch her eyes away from the light and turn towards me. Her head came to rest on her hands and her eyes fluttered open; she seemed surprised to see me, then she too remembered.

"Would I make you feel horrible if I said that I was hoping yesterday was all a horrid dream?" she sighed looking guilty, her eyes refusing to meet mine. I cupped her chin and coaxed her head up, looking into her eyes with as much comfort as I could.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Charlotte. I would be seriously concerned for your mental health if you felt any different." I dropped my hand but kept my eyes locked on hers. They were the kind of eyes you could get lost in; it was impossible for me to look away, even if I had wanted to.

"It's Sunday, we should go before your mother comes to evict us by force." Charlotte said hastily, dropping her eyes. She scrambled out of bed, almost running towards the bathroom. Once I heard the water running for the shower **(A/N: Did they have showers back then?)** I slammed my head as hard as I could against the headboard. It hurt more than I had anticipated.

"OW!" I cried holding the back of my head, my eyes watering.

"Edward? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine mother."_ Yes, I may have made an idiot of myself last night in front of the most wonderful person I have ever met. I may also have had to restrain myself from jumping aforementioned person not five minutes ago. I also may be falling for my wife. But yes, I'm perfectly fine._

I got up and began hunting for my good shoes.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

CPOV

"TARDIS doesn't count, Char."

"Yes it does so count!"

"NO, it doesn't."

"Why not?'

"IT'S NOT EVEN A PROPER WORD!"

"IT'S AN ANAGRAM!"

"_FOR WHAT?!"_

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It's a time machine."

"How do you know that?"

"I know someone who saw one! She said that it looked like a wooden blue box."

"Really? What was her name?"

"Rose Tyler. And before you ask, no, she was not a nutter!"

Edward and I had been playing word dominos for over an hour and a half, and Friar Laurence still wasn't even half way done with his sermon. **(A/N: I have absolutely no idea if this already exists so I just this second made it up. Word dominos is just like regular dominos except you have to match the letters instead of the number of dots. It's kind of like scrabble without the limited number of letters. Whoever runs out of words last wins.) **Luckily we had a pew in the back so we could yell at each other about the legitimacy of words without anyone noticing. Sure, we got weird looks from the old couple in front of us once in a while, but they usually just turned around and whispered something about 'kids today.' **(A/N: This happened to me in church once. :-) ) **

I knew that I had only known Edward for about fourteen hours, but I felt as if I had known him my whole life. He had that kind of energy that made you want to know him, made you want to be his friend. Or in my best friend Johanna's case, much, much more than that.

We had met up before I had been dragged into sitting with the Masons by Elizabeth.

"_So, what's he like?" Johanna asked, her light brown hair getting caught in her glasses._

"_Like the sweetest person on the face of the planet!' Jo frowned._

"_No, I mean, what is he _like?_" she cast an anxious glance towards her mother. I stared her down as best I could without laughing._

"_Jo, I have so many answers to that question, I don't even know where to begin." I caught Edward laughing hysterically from behind her. Jo's eyes widened so far I thought that they would pop out of their sockets._

"_Oh my god, you are so lucky Charlotte."_

"_How so?"_

"_You spent an entire night in bed with the most gorgeous guy in the state, possibly the whole country. Do you know how many girls would kill to be able to be in your position?" I saw Amber Parker glare at me before she walked off with her parents. _

"_I have a vague idea, Jo." Edward swooped in to save me from my gushing friend._

"_Char, come on, before mother locks us both in the basement of this horrible institution." He winked and put his hand around my waist, obviously wanting to add to the already plentiful envious glares that where being shot my way. _

"_I could really get used to that." I whispered when we had hid in the back. I pulled out several sheets of paper._

"_What are those for?" he asked._

"_Do you want to learn a game, Edward?"_

I caught Jo and Amber staring at him again and I immediately glared at the latter, who promptly broke my gaze. Edward looked over his shoulder, puzzled, then looked back at me, his eyes holding a knowing look.

"I'm sorry about them. They just can't seem to get over a lost cause." I giggled slightly at his attempt at humor. Just when I was about to respond, the noise around us swelled, signaling the long awaited end of the service. Instead of getting up with everyone else, I sat and waited for every body to leave so I could make a quick escape. The plan was fool-proof except for one small element that I still wasn't used to accounting for: Edward.

"Char, where are you going?" I wheeled at the feeling of a hand on my arm, a thousand excuses running through my head. After realizing that none of them would even make it past the first wave of Edward's oncoming interrogation, I settled on telling him the truth.

"Edward, I have to go see someone." Edward nodded, seeing my unspoken meaning in my words. He let go of my arm and slipped away to see his family.

I walked through the door that led to the Friar's quarters, winding through the familiar hallways and back doors with ease. I came upon Andrew's room in a matter of minutes, a feeling of dread and elation mixed together in my heart, making a knot in the pit of my stomach. I pushed open the door.

What I saw sent my mind into an emotional overload.

_**Twelve Hours Earlier**_

APOV

I pulled my backpack out from under my bed, throwing it down on top of it, not caring if anyone heard me anymore. I had made my decision and I had to go through with it before I convinced myself otherwise. I ripped open the doors to my wardrobe, pulling out all the clothes and spraying them over by the pack in random places.

_You don't have to do this, Andrew._

"Yes. Yes I do. She'll be better off without me when I was gone.' I whispered under my breath as I began to throw the random scraps of fabrics into my bags.

_You know that Charlotte doesn't care about what you are. She loves you. And you love her._

"It doesn't matter. Charlotte doesn't know what she's talking about when she says she wants me to turn her." My voice quaked as I spoke, the argument with myself escalating into a full on war.

_She wants you for you. She wants to be with you forever because she loves you._

"No she doesn't! She thinks she does, but if she knew about what my world really was, what she could be when she was new," My face fell into my hands and I dry sobbed until my back was shaking with the force of my emotions, "she would think me repulsive."

"And how can you know that, are you psychic too Andrew?" the last words were not part of my mind. I turned around to face Friar Laurence, a shirt hanging from my left hand. I slammed it in with the others.

"Leave me in peace, old man!" I screeched, returning to my task. A tan, wrinkled hand landed on my wrist, stopping me only with the element of surprise.

"Andrew, you don't know what you're doing." He whispered gently, trying to soothe me. I ripped my wrist away from him.

"Who are you to tell me what I know! It's not as if you've been through this kind of thing before! Just let me alone!"

"You know I can't do that." I finished packing and swung it over my shoulder, trying to push past him so that I could leave. I sighed, deciding to humor him.

"Why is that?" he stood still in front of me, showing that he was not going to let up anytime soon. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because I am the one who's going to have to explain to a heartbroken girl why the man she loves left without saying goodbye." I clenched my teeth, trying to banish the image of Charlotte, crying and broken, from my mind.

"Charlotte is young, she's resilient, and besides, she has Edward now. She'll have forgotten me before the month is out, you'll see." I paused, pleading with him with my eyes. "Please, Laurence. Let me go." To my great surprise, he stepped back, allowing me passage.

"As you wish." I started out the door. "I should warn you: you will be back." I looked over my shoulder at my foster father, and I hoped to God that he was wrong.

_**Back in the Present**_

EPOV

I fidgeted in a chair by the food table, waiting for Charlotte to reappear. She had been gone for more than fifteen minutes and though I wasn't really expecting her to rush back to me, I was still a little hurt.

"Edward, you have been sitting in that chair, acting like you have better places to be." My father sat in the chair next to mine.

"All, sue respect, but, what's your point?" he crossed his arms behind his head, and put his right leg over his left.

"Do you? Have better places?" he asked. I grunted in response, causing him to roll his eyes at my invented indifference. "Go on, have fun. Escape while you can." He pushed me from behind, whispering to tell charlotte hello for him. I wasted no time in retracing my steps back to the main room of the church.

"Now, where di you get to, Char?" I glanced at the door that she had disappeared into, slipping behind it. I walked aimlessly up and down the many hallways of the hidden quarters of the parish. By the tenth right, (or was it left?) I knew that I was completely lost beyond hope. I slid down the wall, eventually ending up spread eagled on the floor.

"Send me a sign!" I asked of no one. "A hint! ANYTHING!"

I heard the sound of muffled sobs echoing down the hallway. _Charlotte._

I raced though the halls, winding my way towards the sound of Charlotte's cries. I rounded a corner and saw her, breaking my heart in the process.

She was crumpled on the ground, her head against her knees, her arms around her legs, rocking gently back and forth as a steady stream of tears flowed down her face, smearing her makeup. It was one of the most horrible things that I had ever seen. I kneeled beside her, trying to get a reason for her hysterics out of her.

"Char, what's wrong? What's happened, sweetheart?" she never relaxed her position as she whispered her woes to me:

"he's gone. He's left me. He's gone."

I looked around where she was sitting and glanced in the doorway of the room that she was by. The bed had been stripped of all its sheets making it look lonely and unloved. The small table was covered with scratches like it had been laden and unladen with lot of things very quickly. The doors of the armoire seemed as if they had been opened so violently that they had almost been ripped off. From the looks of the room it seemed as if someone had gone in a very big hurry, as if they had been anxious to leave.

I looked back at charlotte, her ocean eyes still swimming with tears.

"Oh, Charlotte." I sat down next to her, wrapping my arms around her, making her lean into my shoulder. I could feel the tears continue to drop from her eyes. After a couple hours, my parents came to find us, both of them trying to coax her out her trace, both of them being told by me that we should just get her home.

Father eventually convinced Mother, and after a hectic hour, I had Charlotte dressed for bed and in my arms again.

"Edward?" she asked just before she fell asleep again.

"Yes, Char?" I replied, shocked to hear her speak after what she had been through.

"Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone." I tightened my grip on her, feeling her slipping into unconsciousness.

"Never." I whispered.

**See the Jacobness coming out yet? Also to all you Gossip Girl fans, if you remember my mentioning the Ostroff Institution, that will come into play later in the story. To those who have no idea what I'm talking about, you'll just have to wait and see. I'm sorry that I had to take Andy out for a while, but he has some soul searching to do and some Idiots Anonymous classes to go to. See you in the next chapter!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**

**P.S. Special thanks to Mrs. Bella Marie Cullen for letting me borrow one of her characters later on in the story. I'll forget about it if I don't thank you now.**


	25. The Fall of an Angel

**HUZZAH! A NEW CHAPTER! I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a week, but I just was so stuck with what to do for this chapter but I finally plowed through it by starting a whole new story. If you have seen the movie "Howl's Moving Castle" go read it and review pretty pretty please. It's only one chapter but I might write a new one tomorrow. In other news, I found a new person that looks like Andrew, but only in this one picture that I have to find on the Internet because I found it on Myspace: Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars. When he goes all goth and emo (remember, Jared fans, i have only seen this one picture, so he might be like that all the time.) he looks like a more hard-core version of Andrew. also, I may have commited a cardinal sin of Edwardology (this cult/religion that my friends and I have made up. I'm one of the 'cheifs'. We're going to make tee-shirts for the Breaking Dawn party and the movie premiere.) Jake and Sasha, if you ever read this, please do not sacrifice me to a pack of ravaging wolves. Enjoy.**

_"The Grandpa: When Buttercup heard the news that Westly was murdered, she locked herself up in her room, and for days she neither slept or ate._

_Buttercup: I will never love again."_

_-The Princess Bride"_

**EPOV**

"Charlotte never was the same after that." I sighed, trying desperately to avoid looking at Andrew's grief-stricken face. "She never ate. She barely slept. All she seemed to do was sit on the windowsill and stare out into the city." I remembered how Char had been in those dark days.

"What was she like?" my head snapped up at Andrew's words, surprised that he would want to know.

"Are you sure you want to know about that? I mean, I know that you are the master of all things masochistic, but that is pushing some boundaries, Andrew." Andrew never broke my gaze.

"Edward, if you were in my position, which you are, in fact, wouldn't you want to know what you had done to the woman you loved?" I knew that he was right, and he knew that I had very little to argue with on that point. Seeing no way out, I surrendered. I opened my mouth to speak, and failed to find the words that would properly describe what I had seen Charlotte go through in the month that I was there for it.

"I know that you may not understand, but it's hard to find the words." I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, listening to Andrew's steady breathing. He waited patiently for me to say something. I thought of all the things that I would have to tell him that he caused; all the horrors that I didn't even want to believe was possible to happen to someone as kind as Charlotte. I finally looked up again.

"It was like someone had taken all the happiness that she had ever contained, leaving her with only a shell. The light was gone from her eyes. She never smiled or laughed, as if her lips had been sewn into a tight line that never stirred. I stopped trying to talk to her after the first two weeks, knowing that no matter what I did, it would never make a dent in her apathetic exterior." I stopped, trying to hold back the memories that were flooding through my mind. I rubbed my temples again. "The worst part was the nightmares. She and I still stayed in the same room, so they were kind of hard to ignore.

"Every night for a full month, Charlotte would wake up screaming in the dead of night, shaking violently, muttering about empty rooms and dark forests. I stopped hoping that it was a phase after she almost jumped off of the balcony." That caused Andrew to give me his undivided attention.

"No love is worth being suicidal over." My eyes fell to the floor, trying, once again, to block the image of my Bella destroying herself from my mind. "Oh, damn it; I've done it again, haven't I?"

"It's no big deal, what's done is done. There's no need for you to be walking on eggshells when you talk to me." Andrew, being the considerate and understanding person that he was, backed off. I had to give him his credit, no one else that I know, except perhaps Jasper, but he cheated, would have done that.

"Is there anything else?'

"No, she didn't have many 'symptoms', but what she had was very severe." My next words came out in a bitter hiss. "For the time that I could watch her so that she wouldn't harm herself." Confusion spread over Andrew's face. "My mother decided that I was being too overbearing. That I wasn't giving her time to heal properly. She insisted that I needed to let her alone so that she could take her time away from my overly watchful eyes." A flash of anger swept though Andrew's eyes, and I knew that mine would mirror his. "Mother dearest decided that the rational solution would be to send me away to my Aunt Bertha in Rhode Island for a month to calm my nerves." Andrew seemed thoughtful.

"That would explain why I never saw you around when I came back." My eyebrows shot up. "Well, you didn't expect me to stay away forever did you? I'm not _that_ strong." He chuckled darkly. 'I can even remember my first day back, but that story can wait. What about yours?"

**EPOV**

"You can not be serious mother! I can't just go to Rhode Island without any kind of warning!" I was pacing the study, flailing my arms at my mother, who was insisting upon my imminent departure from Chicago.

"Nonsense. Your Aunt says that she can take you in as early as tomorrow. You're going to go on a train tonight. You leave in three hours." I stopped, glaring at my mother in fury. I tried to stay civil, tried to keep my voice level, but that was very difficult when mother was being so obtuse.

"Mother, you don't understand. I need to stay here." I hissed through my teeth. Mother eyed me over her reading glasses.

"You mean Charlotte needs you to stay here." It was not a question. Mother sighed, putting down her book and sitting back in her chair. "Edward, if you hang around her all the time, how is she ever going to heal properly? You mop up every tear, heal every wound, and if you keep doing what you're doing, she's going to end up completely dependent on others for the rest of her life." I opened my mouth to say something but she quickly silenced me with her hand. "Numbing her pain, will only make it worse when she finally feels it. You, Edward, are doing her no favors by caring to her every need. Charlotte is a grown woman, and, as such, she is perfectly capable of dealing with her problems on her own." She looked at me with a glare that dared me to defy her. I took the challenge.

"So you're saying that I should have let her throw herself off of our balcony, then?" I looked her straight in the eye, not caring if it got me into trouble. "Or would that be 'numbing her pain'?" Mother's eyes displayed shock at my first question, and pure, unbridled fury at my second.

"Go pack. You'll be there for a month. Be back in half an hour." She dismissed me and went back to reading her novel.

I stormed up the stairs, slamming my bedroom door closed and kicking the wall. I let out a cry of outrage and despair and sank down onto the cold hardwood. The warmth of a body settling next to mine startled me out of my internal rant. I looked up to stare into a pair of ocean blue eyes.

"Oh, Charlotte, I'm sorry. It's just my mother is forcing me to leave for the month so I can go visit my Aunt in Rhode Island." Charlotte, instead of the anger that I thought would have been evident on her face, looked confused.

"Why would that make you this angry? It's only for the month, and you'll feel better after you get out of the city and get in some of that ocean air." I blinked. This wasn't at all what I had expected. Sure, I hadn't expected Char to break down in a fit of tears, but some sorrow would have been nice; anger would have been nice too. Instead, all I got was this…acceptance as if she…but no, Char couldn't want that.

"Do you want me to leave? Are you sick of me too?" I regretted my selfish words as soon as I said them and saw the pain reflected in her eyes and the tears starting to slip down her cheeks. Her arms slipped around my shoulders in a strangely protective gesture, as if she was trying to anchor me to the ground we were sitting on.

"Of course not, Edward. You're the only person who loves me in the whole world, why on earth would I want to banish you from my company?" I felt my arms slip around her waist of their own accord to comfort her and wipe away her tears. After a month this action had become an automatic reflex.

"The reason that I was so angry was that, first, my mother is making me go without you even though she forced us to be together, which , quite frankly, I don't understand, and second, she's making me go so that I won't be so overbearing and worrisome about you." I chuckled darkly.

"Well, she does have a point." I pulled back from Charlotte so I could look at her face, anger flaring in my mind.

"What?! The woman is trying to tear you away from me, and you say she had a point?" Charlotte looked taken aback at my tone, but said what she was going to say anyway.

"I only mean that," she paused, choosing her words very carefully, "you spend all your time taking care of me and nothing else. When was the last time you left the house?"

"I don't since last week."

"Why?"

I looked at eyes, trying to show her how serious I was.

"Charlotte, I don't go out anymore because I'm terrified that you won't be alive when I get home. I know that you and mother think that I worry about you too much, but I just don't want to see you hurt." I nuzzled my face into her neck, trying to get her to understand. "Please, Charlotte, please just try to see how much I care." I felt her hands working their way through my hair, trying to calm my nerves.

"I heard your mother talking about you leaving, so I did you the favor of packing. I knew that you wouldn't be able to say no, and I'm not so brave as to stand up to that tiger of a mother you have, and it kept me out of trouble." Charlotte pulled gently on the back of my head, making me loosen the death grip I had on her waist. When I looked into her eyes again, I realized what I was doing.

I was abandoning her, the wonderful woman that stood before me. The next thing I knew, my lips were pressed against hers.

**CPOV**

Edward's kisses were…different.

Not better not worse, just…different.

Very different.

For one, Edward was warm and not hard like stone; that in itself made it a different experience. His lips didn't crush mine the way that _his _would. Edward was gentle and soft, as if he was trying not to scare me away, which, of course, he was. One of his hands drifted up to my neck to hold my face to his.

The strangest thing about Edward's kiss was that it didn't repulse me the way it would have if anyone else had kissed me. He made me feel safe and warm, like I was being wrapped in a security blanket. Without waiting for confirmation from my mind my left hand leaned itself against his cheek, my thumb stroking the soft skin of his face. His hand left my neck to cover mine.

Suddenly, my breath came in a small gasp and I was kissing him back, my arms wrapping themselves loosely around his neck. I don't know how long we sat there in each other's embraces but the sound of Elizabeth's cries soon made me pull away, much to my own disappointment. He sighed and rolled his eyes in disgust.

"You should go or Elizabeth will pitch a fit to put grizzly bears to shame." I laughed, surprised by the sadness in his eyes that appeared at my words. He pulled me close and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"But I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you." His hands absent mindedly rubbed my back. We were silent for a moment. "You know, you're pretty small, do you think that you would be able to fit into one of the suitcases?" I laughed again, hitting him on the shoulder. Elizabeth's shrill voice drifted up to us once again, shooting through at least three octaves in the process. "I think I can convince Mother to let me stay."

"Bring me back that snowball from hell, and then we'll test that theory." I got up, pulling Edward with me. I shoved the suitcases that had been sitting patiently on the foot of the bed into his chest. "Now, you really have to go! Do you want your mother to throw me out of the house for turning you into a middle aged spinster while you're seventeen?" Edward's mouth dropped in mock outrage. I put my hand on my hip and cocked my eyebrow, making a glimmer of fear flit through his eyes.

"All right, I'm going. If I didn't know you better Char, I would say that you are trying to get rid of me!"

"Oh now, I couldn't pull that one off if I tried, you'd make sure of it." I laughed as Edward went to put the suitcases down by the front door. I skipped down to the kitchen, looking for something to eat; I was suddenly ravenous for no apparent reason. I saw a bronze head poke around the corner of the door and the body that it belonged to follow soon after. I felt a pair of hands settle at my waist, turning me slowly. Edward placed his forehead against mine.

"Charlotte, please be good while I'm away. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you because of me." I heard his voice break and saw the tears flow down his face at the images his mind had thrust upon him. I reached to brush them aside; it pained me to see him in pain on my account.

"Come now, don't you start that. I promise I'll be good, and I promise that I won't do anything irrational." _For you, Edward. Not for me. _I added inside my own head. He smiled his most beautiful half smile and kissed my forehead. I stood by the counter as I saw him walk out of the door to the kitchen and I heard the slam of the heavy oak front door, signaling his departure.

I raced back up the stairs and leaned over the balcony in our room to get one last look at him. I could just make out his shape in the late evening darkness and I waved when he turned around to look at me. I could see him smile from my perch as he climbed aboard the car that Elizabeth had hired for the occasion. I stared after him as the loud and rickety machine disappeared down the street towards the train station.

It was then that my mind finally caught up with everything that had occurred over the last half hour. I thought of Edward's silent proclamation of love and the chaste consummation **(A/N: Yes, word nerds, I **_**am**_** aware of the contradiction in that statement.) **that had occurred not long after. I thought of how much that kiss had warmed me, had made me feel whole for once in what felt like eternity. I thought of Edward and how he had saved my life many times over and in more ways than one. I thought of the thoughts and feelings that I was putting into his head.

I wept for my crimes, tormenting an innocent boy like that. I was far too broken, and I could never love him properly, and yet that was what I had promised him moments before. I could never love anyone ever again; not really.

_You could try. _A small voice whispered in the back of my mind. He's so kind and warm and loving._ He wouldn't care how broken you are. He loves you, for better or worse. _I laughed at my subconscious's choice of words.

I still couldn't admit it, but I silently agreed.

Edward was reliable and loving. He would never leave me. He would be there to love me with everything he had for as long as he was able or for as long as I lived, whichever ended first. I would never be able to tell him how much he meant to me.

But yes, I could try to be good enough for him.

My thoughts at ease for the night, I slipped in between the, now cold, covers of our bed, missing the warm arms that would protect me from myself, and surrendered my mind to my nightmares.

**Third Person POV**

Edward road towards the train station, thinking only of Charlotte.

Charlotte drifted into sleep, thinking only of Edward.

The pair of them were so preoccupied with each other that night as both readied themselves for the other's absence, that neither of them had cared to notice the black-haired man that had been watching them.

He had seen everything: the fight between Edward and Elizabeth, Edward's words of love to Charlotte, and, especially, the lingering kiss that neither of them had wanted to end. He had felt his heart shatter again at the sight of the pair of them, so concentrated on each other that they had failed to notice the world around them.

Andrew Ravenwood stepped from the shadows and began walking towards the Parish of St. Francis, tears of venom flowing down his pale, gaunt face, looking as one dead.

**Okay, I lied, Andrew is coming back sooner than expected, but he still will not be in the story much for a few chapters that I have planned out. Please don't kill me. Review if you want to kill me, give me a medal, or somewhere in between.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	26. Strangers

**Hey, lovies! I was kind of stuck on what I wanted to write for the next chapter with Charlotte, so I decided to wing it and put an entire chapter in Bella's point of view! I wanted to know what she and Alice were up to, so I put them in Italy, calmly waiting out Edward's hostage situation. NOT. You know you're a nineties kid when you still get the urge to write 'not' after every sentence! I am also very very very very very very very very sorry because I will not be able to update for about two weeks. I am going to visit the fam in Kentucky and then I'm going to hang out with the freaks, geeks and nerds at my philosophy course at Ashland University. I will bring my notebook to write what I can. I birthed about half of the VERY LAST CHAPTER of the ENTIRE STORY at 11:36 P.M. on June 25, 2008. Yeah, I recorded it. Enjoy. Put the Italian in a translator if you really want to understand it.**

_"Our doubts are traitors,  
And make us lose the good we oft might win  
By fearing to attempt."_

_____-William Shakespeare_, "Measure for Measure", Act 1 scene 4

BPOV

Alice and I had arrived in Florence yesterday, hoping against hope that this whole process of finding Edward and getting him home would be quick. In short, we had been delusional.

Alice had stolen a Porsche 911 Turbo to get us to Volterra. She had been a little sloppy about it because she still had not been getting any visions. She thought that it was because Aro was still keeping Edward with the vampire (or werewolf, I still hadn't given up on the idea.) that could block her power. We had almost been caught by the police because she couldn't see when the owner of the car would be back.

I had fallen asleep on the way to the city because I had been so emotionally drained from fighting with Jacob about coming, driving non-stop to Atlanta, and hopping a plane to Florence with only two uneasy hours of sleep to show for it. By the time that I had woken up I was lying on a bed in a hotel room.

I got up, feeling the knot in my back that had formed from the braid that my hair had been in since last week when we had left. The rough fabric of the bed was a sick green color that felt like wool. The pillows felt like they were made of feathers, the pillowcases a lighter shade of the bedspread's green color. The thick, dark curtains were drawn as close as they could, but you could still see the light from outside. It had to be about noon because the sun seemed to be blazing outside of the window.

I turned, cracking my neck, to look at the clock which read, in obnoxiously bright red numbers, 12:45. I turned when I heard a sound from the right side of the bed and saw Alice sitting in a short chair that was covered in the same fabric as the curtains.

"Hello, Bella, did you have a nice sleep?" Her voice seemed flat and lifeless, like she didn't care about anything in the world.

"No luck, Alice?" I asked. She smiled slightly.

"They wouldn't even let me past the secretary. I don't even know why they hired her; she had a pair of Versace's that were from at least three seasons ago. I was so sickened that I went out and bought you a whole new summer wardrobe." I groaned at her excitement, casting a glance at the ominous pile of bags that were placed on the other side of the chair that she was sitting in.

"Alice, you know that I love you, but I can still remember what it was like the last time that you held me hostage in a hotel room. Would you mind if I went down into the lobby to walk around and get some fresh air?" Alice looked wary at the thought of me being away from her watchful eye.

"Bella, I really don't think that that would be a good idea in your condition." My head snapped around.

"What condition, Alice?"

"You know, what with Edward being in the situation that he is and the fact that you love him. I just think that you shouldn't be alone." Alice looked down at the ground, shrinking slightly into her chair. I stood up and put my hands on my hips.

"You mean that because I jumped off a cliff, you think that I should stay in the company of a thirsty vampire." I paused, seeing the anger in her eyes. "No offense, but that doesn't sound any safer out loud than it does in my head." Alice sighed and gestured to the door. She saw that I wasn't going to give in to being held hostage for no proper reason.

"If you get kidnapped by people with last season shoes, don't blame me." She yelled as I walked out the door.

The hallways were painted an odd mixture of taupe and red with chairs in alcoves every few feet. They were identical to the chair that Alice was sitting in in the room. I started walking down the hall, the strange color lulling me into a dull stupor. I was halfway to the elevator when I realized that I had completely forgotten about making sure that I knew what the number of the room was so that I wouldn't get lost. _Not that it really would have mattered, you still would have gotten lost anyway. _I thought.

Undaunted, I pressed on to the elevator. It was pretty standard, silver steel plates and a ding when the door opened to reveal a wallpapered interior. I stepped through, letting my mind wander and be numbed by the generic classical music that was emanating quietly from the speakers on the walls. I quickly aborted this exercise when I realized that it was piano music. I blinked back the tears that were threatening to drip from my eyes at the thought of anything that even vaguely reminded me of him.

I tried not to notice the stares of the other people that were in the elevator when I looked at the ceiling to hide my moisture in my eyes and I clenched my teeth and balled my hands up into fists. A man with tanned skin and blonde hair dressed in an unfortunate three piece maroon suit put his hand on my shoulder.

"_Sono buono?_" he asked. I didn't know much Italian, but I knew that _buono_ meant 'good'. I tuned and smiled, blinking back the rest of the almost extinct tears. That seemed to satisfy him and he got off at the second to last floor.

I hastily composed myself before I stepped out into the lobby of the hotel.

I was right about the sun, it had to be at least one hundred degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky that I could see from the large windows that lined the walls on all sides of me. The lobby was all glass; it had windows everywhere, making it look like a glass house, which would explain the greenhouse-like warmth radiating throughout the room. There was a check in and concierge desk in the exact center, surrounded by a vast array of chairs and sofa's that created a complicated maze around the room. A perfect death trap for anyone who was the least bit uncoordinated, much less a klutz like me.

I weaved and stumbled my way through to the center podium, feeling the eyes of the tall and skinny receptionist on me the entire time. Not that I wasn't used to getting weird looks for my innate ability to walk across a flat, stable surface and find something to trip over.

I managed to reach the desk without causing any serious injury to myself or any innocent bystanders and only causing one chair to fall and that was only because some big guy fell into me.

"Do you know where I can get something to drink?" I asked, praying that she could speak English. Thankfully, someone up there took pity on me.

"Yes, miss. Go out the doors to your right and walk to the left. The bar should be about fifty meters from there." She said in a bored, thickly accented voice. I did as she told me to and walk through the huge, open archway to my right. After about five steps, I understood why Alice had gotten a room with thick, dark curtains.

The sun was blazing, beating down in a way that could only signify that I was somewhere nearer to the Equator than I was used to. I was not used to that kind of sunshine as I had been staying in the rainiest town on the Olympian Peninsula for the last year. I could feel the warmth permeating every open inch of my skin, the light making me squint because of its brightness.

My mind was still very much asleep, so I saw no problem in walking the one hundred fifty feet to the hotel bar. There were wooden chairs different from the others sprinkled throughout the hotel by tables with starched, white, linen tablecloths. I weaved through these sparse tables, not tripping once, and arrived at the long wooden bar. I pulled myself up onto one of the tall chairs that lined the bar and put my head in my hands, trying to banish the last remnants of sleep from my brain. I felt a soft tap on my shoulder.

"_Che cosa volete?_" a man with dark skin and hair asked me. I didn't answer right away, so he must have figured me for a tourist because he quickly added: "What do you want?" I dredged up as much knowledge of the language that I had learned from the guidebooks that Alice had bought me to answer.

"_Una Coke, per favore. Spiacente._" The man smiled a little at my efforts and turned to get my drink. I put my head in my hands again until I heard the sound of a glass being put on the wood in front of me. "_Grazie._"

I sipped my drink in silence, my mind a blank canvas. About half-way down the glass, it suddenly dawned on me where I was and why I was here. I heard the glass tinkle and I looked to see that my hand was shaking and thus, was making the ice knock against the sides of the glass. I put the glass down on the coaster that the bartender had given me and placed my violently shaking hands in my lap.

Edward's face appeared in my mind and I could feel my shoulders start to shake with the tears that were dripping from my eyes and the sobs that accompanied them. My elbows propped themselves up on the table as I drowned in my sorrows.

I thought of all of things that had brought me to where I was, and the disaster that could possible await me in the future is Alice and I failed here. If he - Edward died because of my own stupidity…well, I didn't think that I could possibly survive. It had been horrible enough to live without him, knowing that he was out somewhere in the world, living his life without me. But to know that he was dead; that he was no longer in this world because he had felt guilty about something that I had done. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I would never be able to bear it, causing such an angel as him harm.

And that was what I was doing.

I was killing him.

I sobbed into my soda for a few moments, hating myself with all the passion I could muster. I didn't care when the sun was suddenly blacked out by the clouds that had not been there a second ago. I took no notice when I heard the legs of the chair next to mine scrape across the floor and the creak of the wood base when the weight of a body was laid upon it. I didn't care when a voice ordered a drink in Italian that I didn't understand. I didn't care when the sound of ice and glass clinking together appeared next to me. I didn't care when silence enveloped the person beside me.

I did care, however, when an abnormally cold hand placed itself on my shoulder.

I shrank away from the touch and placed my hair over my right shoulder to form a curtain between the person and myself so that they could not see my face burning. _Talk about déjà vu_.

"Excuse me, but are you all right, miss?" a male voice with a thick Italian accent asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I said, not bothering to try to respond in Italian, as the man obviously spoke perfect English.

"You've been crying your eyes out while I've worked my way through two glasses of gin and tonic. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that means you're fine, even in America." He scoffed. He waited a minute, then spoke again when I said nothing. "So, who's the man?" I very nearly shot him a glare. I knew that he had seen me flinch, but I still pretended to be oblivious to his presence.

"All right, I admit that may have not been the best question to start out with, but that's no reason to be so rude to a stranger that's trying to help you."

"Trying to rape me is more like it." I whispered, far too low for any human to hear.

"Oh, come now, that's not very nice." He paused again. "How about we start with your name?" I considered my options and didn't see anything wrong with telling this man my name. What more could happen to me that would be worse than what was going on now.

"Bella. Bella Swan." Silence greeted my response.

"R-R-Really?" he asked, faltering a bit.

"Yes. Why? Why would you be so surprised at what my name is?"

"My great-grandfather on my mother's side was German. He had a chronic stutter, and apparently I'm the unlucky bastard that got the shallow end of the gene pool." I giggled. "Oh, a laugh, that's new." I stopped and went back to staring at my drink.

"What else do you want to know about me before I punch you out for sexual harassment?" I knew that I couldn't really take this guy out, since the last time I had been faced with a situation like that was still clear in my mind.

"You still haven't answered my question. Who's the man?" I folded my hands in a prayer position and put my chin on them. _What do you have to lose, Bells?_

"The man, of whom you speak, is my boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend."

"Did you guys break up?"

"In a way. I thought that everything between us was perfect. I thought that he had loved me; I know that I loved him with everything I had." I paused letting the memories wash over me. "Then something happened. Something...very bad, but it still could have been worse than it was. But, he didn't see that. He thought that I was just too dangerous to be around anymore. He left me." I drank the rest of my Coke in one gulp like a regular person would shoot whiskey. "Apparently I was just a liability." **(A/N: I was going to say: 'I was just something to keeping screwing around with.', but that wasn't very Bella-like, more like Rachel-like. (That's me.))**

The man beside me said nothing for a while.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked suddenly.

"About what?"

"About what he thought of you? About why he left?" I knew that he was trying to help me feel better about myself, but I still couldn't bring myself to suppress a snort.

"Of course I am. What else could it be? I'm not beautiful or graceful or intelligent." My voice almost disappeared as I thought of all the things that I wasn't and Edward was. I hung my head in shame. "Why would anyone want me?" I heard the sounds of stirring coming from my right.

"But, Bella, that's what you think. How do you know that he didn't think the exact opposite? If a man is with you for more than six months, that's usually the case. Trust me."

"Not Edward. You didn't see the look on his face when he told me he was leaving. Actually, come to think of it, he didn't really have a look."

"That's a man's way of lying, Bella. If you thought that he didn't love you, then you would have been able to heal quicker. That usually is a really good concept in theory, but doesn't work so well in real life." I heard the sound of glass being put on wood and knuckled cracking. I saw the outline of fingertips dancing on my far right.

"Now, my guess is that he thought that you would be able to live on without him. Upon this realization, he sees that he is going to have to lie through his teeth to get you to believe him. Also, the blank look is a classic, I've used that myself, it helps create an aura of indifference when really it feels like ferrets are chewing though your body from the inside out. And, finally, I don't think that he thought you were too dangerous to be around, but that he was the one that was too dangerous to be around." A pair of black Vans appeared in my peripheral vision, one of his legs crossing themselves over the other. I turned to look at a pair of black eyes.

"How the hell could you know that?!" I asked disbelief and anger mingling inside me. The man next to me looked right into my eyes.

"I do a lot of reading. And, in case you haven't noticed, I happen to be a guy. I think that that makes me kind of an authority." He got up; throwing a jacket that had been lying across the back of his chair.

"Farewell, Isabella Swan. Take care." He started walking toward the street **(A/N: I forgot to mention that the bar was pretty open air except you get in by walking through these red brick arches. My apologies.) **and I spun around in my chair to follow him with my eyes. He turned.

"And, by the way, I'll put in a good word for Edward." With those parting words and a smile, he turned again to walk toward the ally at the right of the bar. I spun around again to choke down the last of the ice at the bottom of my Coke glass.

By the time I turned around, the sun was shining again, all the clouds were gone, and my visitor had disappeared.

**I would like to thank the three people that keep me going every day:**

**fizz3221 - Thank you for all your encouragement. And yes, the vampire Edward will see himself in Jacob Black. Of course Jacob Black is more of an ass, but whatever.**

**Madam Jen - Thank you for saying that my story was too good to only have 69 reviews and that the people who do not read it are stupid and the people who do but do not review are dumb as hell.**

**sovoyita - I can only say: Thank you for the plaque. It has earned a place of honor right above my computer, so that I may look upon it in times of writer's block. Come over sometime, I'll make you cookies and show you that creepy guy named Andrew Ravenwood that makes Star Wars computer art and lives in his mom's basement.**

**Review, and remember that you will not see me for the next two weeks. Do not be alarmed, I have not moved to a military acadamy and I am not dead.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	27. Please Read!

**I made Andrew a Myspace today! Please go to **

**profile./index.cfm?fuseactionuser.viewprofile&friendid393240425 (just add an the http thing in front of it, this thing is being stupid.)**

**and friend him please! Tell me that you know me from Fanfic!**

**See you in two weeks!**

**Until we meet again,**

**The3rdbronte**


	28. Goodbye

**My cousin's house has a computer!! So that means that you guys get a chapter to hold you over until next Saturday, when I get back from Ashland!! I know, I rock. I think that I should be diagnosed as either maniac depressive or schisophrenic after writing this. Or maybe this is so sad because I was kind of bummed today. Anyway, no Italy scene for this chapter, but it may be in the next one. And to the people who reviewed the last chapter (not the myspace thing.) yes, you will find out who that guy was. Also, the name for the new male character who is not even going to show up for a while, but I want to be prepared is: Blaine Gold. Thanks Jo, for making up the name for me! Again, no chapter until Saturday! Enjoy.**

_"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone. _

_But though you're still with me, I've been alone."_

_-"My Immortal" by Evanesence_

CPOV

I woke up to a cloudy day and a cold bed. The gray light of the dawn spilled through my window, making the entire room seem like a black and white photograph. My arm flopped over my eyes, trying to block out the morning and the hard reality that would come with it.

I flopped over, my hand reaching out to grab a hold of Edward's hair. My head snapped up when my fingers were met with only air and the cotton of the sheets.

"Oh, right." I sighed, the memory of last night coming back to me. Edward was gone for the month and I was left to my own devices. I sat up in our bed, wanting nothing more than to slip back into the covers and stay there until Edward got back. I rubbed my hands against my arms, missing the warm hands that should have been there to sooth me.

"God, please tell me I am not this pathetic all the time! It's been less than twelve hours, and I miss him already." I scolded myself, feeling like the most pathetic worm in existence since the beginning of time.

Not wanting to procrastinate anymore, I swept back the sheets and the quilt and raced into the bathroom to wash up.

I turned on the water to the shower, making it go as warm as I could stand. I quickly stripped out of my red nightdress and stepped into the water. I let out a sigh as the blistering water hit my skin, letting the coldness that was filling me up dissipate from the inside out. The individual drops of water felt so good as they trickled down my skin. I leaned my head against the tile, letting all the sensations and warmth to wash over me.

I worked my shampoo and conditioner through my hair, letting the suds wash down my body and down the drain. I was at peace with my surroundings for once; the water and the steam had an oddly calming effect. I stayed with my eyes closed on the tile. Then, everything changed.

The drops of water began to feel like caresses of fingertips and lips. The tile felt like the chest of a man pressing into my back. The water running through my hair turned into fingers. The beat of the water against the tile became a voice whispering to me. I pressed into the wall, expecting the cold that would come with the tile and my all too frequent delusions.

But I was greeted with more warmth and a flash of bronze.

My eyes flew open and I all but ran out of the shower grabbing a towel on the way. I flung myself on the bed, wrapping my arms around my knees and rocking back and forth. I bit my lip to stop the traitor tears from coming out, shame for my imagination coursing through my body.

I knew that it was completely irrational to be ashamed of daydreaming about a man, particularly if that man happened to be my husband. But, still, I couldn't stop myself from feeling horrible about thinking about Edward that way. My heart still belonged to Andrew, and I knew that I would never be able to completely erase those feelings that I had for him.

But, Edward…

He was just so _good_. And nice. And sweet. And handsome. He was the kind of man that inspired authors to make princes charming and to have them jump on their noble steeds and save damsels in distress. The kind of man that girls everywhere dream of falling in love with.

I couldn't though. I was still so much in love with Andrew that my heart could never recover from it completely. I wanted to love Edward back, I really did, but I didn't want to hurt him just as badly.

I got off of the bed and dressed for the day, my heart calming down to a healthier beat. _Maybe I should join a convent; interaction with the male species is starting to be hazardous to my health._

_**Two Weeks Later**_

I could hear Gerona knocking on the door to my bedroom, calling my name.

"Miss. Charlotte, you must come out of there. You'll make yourself sick if you stay in there too long."

It was Thanksgiving at the Mason house, and the rest of the family had come to Chicago to see the newest addition to the clan. The whole, entire family. All together it totaled about fifty-five people crammed into a five thousand square foot house.

For the last two hours I had been poked and prodded and wondered at by everyone. All of them had commented of my appearance, which was endearing at one point, but after the fourth (or was it fifth?) aunt it had just become annoying. All of them had wanted to know how I was settling in to my home and life. I had told all of them that I was fine, that I was enjoying it to the greatest extent. Those last few weeks of faking emotion for Edward had served me well.

But after we sat down to dinner, and the topic of my former life came up, I had fled as fast as I could to my room. It had become my sanctuary in the times that I could no longer pretend that I was all right.

Gerona had been calling for me to come back to the party for more than an hour, saying that Mrs. Mason would be cross at me if I didn't come out of my room. I paid her no mind. I didn't care if Elizabeth was angry with me. Hell, I didn't care that she might come up to my room and break my door down with a poker from the fireplace. I didn't care that my new family was waiting for me to return, to explain why I had run in the way that I had. I didn't really care about much of anything anymore.

After Edward had gone, I had become even worse than I had before. For the first few days I had been fine. I hadn't improved, as Elizabeth had predicted, but I hadn't gotten any worse. Then, after the third day, my nightmares had returned, and they were so much worse.

Before, they had only been me, running aimlessly through the forest, looking for _him. _But now they were so different, and so much more terrifying. Edward was there, guiding me through the forest, trying to lead me back home with him. I would falter at first **(A/N: I am sorry to stop midsentence, but while I am writing this terrifying dream, I am listening a song from "Phantom of the Opera' and not one of the terrifying ones. No, I am listening to 'All I Ask of You' the most romantic song in the musical. That seemed so backwards to me, I just had to write it.)** but I would always follow him willingly, craving the warmth of his embrace and the touch of his skin. He would lead me back to the glen that _he _and I had shared, but instead of the darkness that I had come to expect, it would be warm and the sun would be beating down again. We would lie together by the back of the river and talk about all kinds of pointless things. When we grew tired, and the sky would darken, we would rise to go back on the trail to the city.

He would always take me in his arms just before we left, and he would go to kiss me. But, always, just before out lips met, the sky would grow pitch black, and Edward would be ripped from my arms.

I would hear an animalistic snarl of fury, and the darkness would suddenly lift.

And there would be Andrew, crouching over Edward, his teeth dug into his neck and a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Edward would scream in pain and reach out to me, begging me to make him stop. His arms would go limp as soon as I reached him, his eyes glazed over in death. And I would scream myself awake as Andrew's cruel laughter echoed in my ears.

I heard Gerona give up on trying to make me come out, the soft clicking of her heels on the wood floors echoing down the hallway and down the stairs. I could hear the screech of outrage from Elizabeth and the confused conversation of the rest of the family. I made no move to go down to them, to say that I was all right and that I was just nervous about meeting all of them.

I was sick of doing that. I was so sick of lying to the world. Of pretending that I was fine. Of pretending that I wanted to get up in the morning and live my life or whatever was left of it. I was sick of having to exist in a world where I had no desire to be.

I unwound my arms from around my knees and pushed myself up from the corner that I had been huddling in. I crossed the room and sat down at my old desk. I had had it moved to the house after the wedding, saying that I had sentimental value to me. I opened up the third drawer on the right; to anyone else it would appear to be empty, but I had discovered a secret compartment in it when I was five. I had kept all kinds of things in it: bits of string, coins, lace, papers, anything that I has wanted to keep all to myself. I reached in and pulled out the current tenant.

I smoothed out the frail paper of Andrew's letter, the creases from the countless handlings etched forever into it. I ran my fingers and eyes over the words, trying to remember a time when I would have believed all that he had said on this small page. At that time, it had seemed clear to me that he had loved me. He told me so almost every day.

I closed my eyes and let myself remember all the wonderful things that had happened to me when I had had him in my life. Him creeping into my room at night and me telling him all the stories that I had known. When he would steal me away during the church services and take me to our glen to play in the river. The occasional cloudy day when we could be together in places other than my room. We had had to be sneaky about it because if anyone saw him and me they would have immediately told my mother. That one weekend when my parents had been away and we had gone to the summerhouse on the coast.

And all the while he would always say that he loved me. He would always kiss me gently and stoke my skin in such a way that showed his adoration. His eyes would blaze whenever he looked at me and his lips would always be curved into a smile in my presence.

He had told me so many things: his past, how he was turned, what his parents were like. He would say that he had always been alone before I had found him. He would call me 'my angel' on weekdays, 'my pearl' on Sundays, and, on exceedingly special occasions, 'goddess divine'. I think it came from reading Jane Austen one too many times. He as always romantic and sweet; a wonderful Romeo to call my own.

And I had loved him, oh, had I loved him. He was everything that I had had. He was more precious to me than my life. He still was.

I looked back down at the letter, and put it away, pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pen. I put the ink to the paper and began writing out my life.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

CPOV

I walked through the forest behind the parish, trying my best to stop my hands from shaking and keep to the trail. The trees made shadows of green across the forest floor and the bare patches on my skin. The ground crumbled beneath my feet, the parched ground falling apart as my weight pressed against it.

_You don't have to do this, Charlotte. Just turn around, and go home; it will make everything so much easier. _I told myself as the shadows turned from green to a pale gray as the sun disappeared.

"No, not doing this will only make things that much harder. I don't want to go back to the life that I am being forced to lead. I have to do this." I knew that what I was saying was true; I had to go through with what I was going to do. I had already sent my letter to Edward, so I had that part of my plan already completed. I had known that that would be the easy part.

But, even now, as I walked a path that I had not walked in almost a month and a half, I had my doubts. I knew that he wouldn't be here, but I had to hope that coming to this place would add some kind of finality to my act. Here we were one more so than any other place. If any where in the city, he would be here.

I came to the edge of the trees, a fear of the place that I had once loved coursing through my veins. _Edward wouldn't want you to do this. He would want you to go home._ My mind dealt a low blow, making me momentarily reconsider my decision.

"No. I need to do this." I said firmly, more to reassure myself that what I was doing was right. My resolve hardened once again and I stepped out into the glen.

It looked as it did in my nightmares: the grass was a dull green, not the bright and vibrant color that I had known it. The sun was blocked completely by an opaque layer of gray clouds. The river no longer babbled over the rocks, but merely flowed slowly and silently, as if it was only doing it because it had nothing left to do. The flowers had wilted from the lack of rain and now lay as if dead around me. It was as if the glen had suffered the same loss that I had, and had also chosen to only exist because it was obligated to.

I walked out to the exact center of the clearing, crossing my legs as I sat down. I pulled out the letter that I had written the night before and unfolded it so that it was lying open on my lap. I looked down at my words, feeling as if a great weight was being placed on my heart, making it difficult to breath. I held back the tears as I started to speak to the emptiness that echoed the space inside of me.

"Andrew," I began, feeling my heart break as I said his name out loud for the first time. "I don't know if you can hear me, or if you're even here anymore, but I need to talk to you. I know that you despise me and that you don't want me anymore, but please just listen to this letter I wrote. I didn't know were to send it so I just brought it here, to our place." I cleared my throat, banishing the tears that threatened to escape my eyes.

"Dear Andrew,

I know that you don't want to hear from me, or even see me anymore but I must speak my mind.

I know you don't love me anymore, but I still love you, so much. I can't seem to let go of you. You haunt my every movement and thought, and I know that I shouldn't let you have so much power over me, but I can't seem to let you go. And I want to. I know that I should not dwell in the past. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live but that is exactly what I am doing.

Instead of getting over you and moving on with Edward, my mind is torturing me with your memory. I shouldn't think of you but I can't stop.

Why can't you just stay away?

Why can't I just let you go?"

I chocked on the sobs that escaped my mouth, making my last words seem slurred. I swallowed quickly and continued to what I knew would be the hardest part to read.

"My world is falling apart, and you are the only person who would understand. I have lost all desire to live in this world; it has become a mighty stranger without you in it to keep me company.

Edward is so kind to me and I know that he loves me, but I know that I could never love him. I am much too far broken to ever be capable of love again. I want to love him but I can't because you still hold my heart more than anyone else ever could.

His mother made him leave me so that I could have more time to heal, but all it has done is make me retreat deeper into myself. I feel like screaming because I don't have anyone to talk to.

You're gone.

Edward's gone.

I feel so alone.

Nothing holds any interest for me anymore. My grandmother told me, at my grandfather's funeral, that life is only worth something if you have someone to share it with. I thought that I had had that with you.

I guess that I was wrong. I know that every kiss and every touch was a lie. But it hasn't been an easy lesson to learn. After all the times that you told me you loved me, after all the time that we spent together, it turns out that I was only fooling myself. I thought for the first couple of days I thought that my whole life was just an endless nightmare that I would be able to wake up from. I would just be able to open my eyes and you would be there, waiting for me to wake up. But when the first week went by and that didn't happen, I began to realize what had happened. You had left me, without a word. My mind shut itself down at the realization.

Having Edward there helped, of course; numbed the pain that was threatening to make me explode. But ever since he left, I feel like I want to explode. Like I'm not worth the trouble of being kept alive."

I struggled to keep my voice from cracking, failing miserably.

"Where are you?

Why don't you write?"

The sobs began to escape with wild abandon, making my shoulders shake violently and my voice become shaky.

"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?

If you loved me why would you subject me to this kind of torture? Why would you make me feel like this?

I miss you so much.

But I can't do this anymore. I know that if I don't make myself believe that you are really gone that I will live my life as a zombie.

So, the thing that I came here to say is this:

Goodbye, my love. May be happy with whatever you choose. We shall never meet again, but I need you to know that I love you; that I will always love you in one way or another. I know that you will be happy without me, and I will never think the worse of you for it.

Goodbye, Andrew Ravenwood.

Love,

Charlotte."

I folded up the letter and put it back in my pocket. I sighed, the weight that had been on my heart suddenly lifting. I smiled a little to myself and tried to get up to leave. A pair of cold arms kept me on the ground.

APOV

I leaned against one of the trees at the edge of the glen, tears pouring from my eyes as I heard Charlotte speak.

"What have I done?" I whispered to myself. How could I have ever left her? How could I have submitted her to this? I wasn't having a very easy time with her absence either, but I had never imagined that Charlotte could have been going through the same thing as I. It caused me so much pain to think of her like that, so alone and in such pain.

I was a monster for doing this to her, for making her feel that way.

_And she still loved me._

How could that be? How could any one love me after what I had done? All the torture that permeated her voice as she spoke caused me to sink lower and lower into self-loathing. I despised myself. If I could have died on the spot so that she may have been happy again, I would have done it in an instant.

But I couldn't die. I would never die if there was a chance that we could still be together. I would only cease to exist if she did. I summoned all my strength and crossed the distance between Charlotte and myself, sitting next to her right arm. She didn't even flinch she was concentrating so hard.

Goodbye, my love. May be happy with whatever you choose. We shall never meet again, but I need you to know that I love you; that I will always love you in one way or another. I know that you will be happy without me, and I will never think the worse of you for it.

Goodbye, Andrew Ravenwood.

Love,

Charlotte."

Tears continued to stream down my face as she finished speaking. I tried to stay silent, the anger at myself coursing through me, making me want to scream. But I didn't want to scare Charlotte away, not again. I saw her fold up her letter and go to stand up, never once turning in my direction.

Unconsciously, I put my hands on her shoulders to keep her next to me. Charlotte spun around where she was and looked at me, surprise the only emotion I had the time to see in her eyes. I didn't notice what she said, if she even said anything; all I could do was stare at her.

She looked like a corpse. The circles under her eyes matched mine. The hallows of her cheeks had sunken in, making her face seem thin and small. Her lips no longer full or held the color of roses; they were thin and a sickening shade of gray. And she was so _thin_, as if she hadn't eaten for weeks. My eyes traveled down her body, my hands moving to her waist. Her wrist seemed small and breakable, making me wary about even touching her, as if she were a frail china doll. The skin on her legs was the same shade of gray as her face. She didn't even seem to have the strength to hold herself up properly.

The last things that I noticed were her eyes. They no longer sparkled with the life that I had adored, but were blank, as if dead. Their gorgeous ocean color was dulled with the indifference of their owner. Just the mere sight of them made me want to burst into tears again. I lifted a hand from her waist to stroke her cheek.

"Oh, Charlotte." I breathed. My voice seemed to break her out of her trance. She started hyperventilating and her heart stared beating faster and faster.

"No. You can't be." She stated simply, panic sparking in her eyes.

"But I am, love. You sent for me didn't you?" I asked, trying to be gentle. It didn't help.

"No. YOU CAN'T!" she screamed, jumping up and running towards the path back to the city.

I stared after her, my arms still holding her shape. I let them fall and wrap around my knees. I pulled my knees into my chest and sobbed for my love.

**I am sad now. I have to go listen to showtunes so that I can cheer up again. The fam is calling me, so I have to go. I will see you guys on Saturday or Sunday! Review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	29. Illusions and Truth

**Hello! I am back from the dead! I am so sorry I have taken this long to write my new chapter, but with camp and the fatigue that came with it, I just didn't have the time or the energy. Andrew's myspace is going along swimmingly thanks to a very special Bella. I saw the new trailer for the movie today! I LOVE JAMES SO MUCH!! His voice is sexy and terrifying...AT THE SAME TIME! Any way, I don't really have much to say except that the beginning of this chapter is kind of smexy (a word my friend told me and I use all the time. It's like a tame sexy.) because, as we may reasonably assume: even Edward isn't immune to some naughty thoughts now and again. Don't worry, it's nothing graphic, like I'm POSITIVE he is with Bella. Oh, come on, you know it too! Enjoy.**

_"The mind sees what it chooses to see."_

_-The Da Vinci Code_

EPOV

"Day fourteen on the alien planet." I whispered to myself. I was lying on my bed, my eyes still closed, wishing that I could just disappear back to Chicago; that when I opened my eyes I would be back home with Charlotte.

I waited, listening intently for the sounds of people and early morning bustle that I was used to. It never came. My ears were greeted with the unwelcome sounds of waves crashing on the beach and seagulls flying past my window. The smell of the light sea air permeated every surface of my room. I could feel the early morning sunlight cross my face. I sighed.

Time to face another day.

I opened my eyes at last, the sun causing me to squint. My eyes finally adjusted, letting the shape of the things around me come into view. I sighed again, automatically reaching out to where Charlotte's arm should have been. Instead of the warm flesh that I had been expecting, even after two weeks apart, my hand closed around the stiff, lifeless fabric of the sheets. I closed my eyes, trying to will the person I wanted to be there into being.

My imagination decided to humor me.

I imagined the warmth of her skin, the way that the sun would lightly sparkle off of it with its morning light. My mind conjured up the feeling of my arm sliding around her waist, my fingers sliding smoothly on the silk fabric of her nightdress. I bent my head to place a line of kisses down her neck to her shoulder. I heard a giggle escape her lips and she moved her body so that she could look at me. She lifted a hand to run her fingers through my hair, down my cheek and over my lips. My lips parted slightly and pressed against her fingers.

Her lips were on mine then, a warmth spreading all through my body. My arms would themselves around her waist, pulling her body as close as I could to mine. I savored the feeling of her hands twisting in my hair, pulling me ever closer to her; her lips and body moved with mine in ways that I never imagined.

I don't know how long we laid there together. It may have been seconds, hours or days, but we both knew that it had to end. I felt Charlotte sigh against my neck and place a soft kiss on the patch of skin between my neck and my shoulder.

"You have to go now, Edward. I'll see you soon." And with that parting speech, I opened my eyes.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes with my palms, trying to wipe away the last remains of sleep and the image of Charlotte away from them. I ran my fingers through my hair, finally placing my face in my hands.

I couldn't keep doing this: torturing myself with the delusion that Charlotte could possibly want me after all that she had been through. It was only going to make the sting of rejection hurt that much more. I knew that she would never look twice in my direction if she had the choice. I knew that she had only kissed me out of pity and obligation. I knew that she didn't love me.

And yet I couldn't bring myself to stop.

Charlotte was good and kind and beautiful and intoxicating. Her very presence brightened my soul. And she was starting to get better. She was starting to smile again and the light was starting to come back to her eyes.

Because of me.

_I _was the one who was making her well again, not the bastard that left her without a word. _How _dare_ he do that to her. To the most loving and gracious creature that ever set foot on this Earth. I could kill him for doing this to her. To my love. _

I paused in my internal rant, shocked at my own mind for thinking such a thing. Not the killing part, but the part where I had claimed that Charlotte was mine.

_You stupid git! _**(A/N: I love this word.)**_What in the world would make you think that? _I scolded myself. _She isn't yours, and most likely never will be. No use in fooling yourself, Mason, that's the way it is._

I sighed for what felt like the thousandth time and finally lifted myself from the bed, willing to go greet my new life.

Aunt Bertha did not have a very large house; it was nothing like the manor back in Chicago. For one, it was only two stories, half the size of my home. She didn't have any expensive furniture or priceless pieces of art. She didn't have to live in a hotel once a year while she got all the rooms repainted. She didn't even have a maid service or a butler. It was just her, her art, and the sea. And I loved her for it.

I never knew how loud and rushed the city was until I came to Aunt Bertha's. It was always quiet here, the sounds of the ocean and the animals around it the only ones available for the ear. This was the only house around for miles, so there were barely any people around except me, her and the postman. She spent almost all her time painting in her studio, leaving me to my thoughts in peace, something I was defiantly not accustomed to at home.

Aunt Bertha was an artist, mostly fantasy and abstract pieces. She hated the real world, or, as she called it, the world as it appeared to be. She said that the real world was just an illusion; that things that people couldn't or didn't want to see and understand really did exist. She always said that art was an imitation of life and that the artist was the servant to the eye; depicting what was real as apposed to what was _seen_.

This ideal got most of her works banned by local religious groups, on the claim that her works were ungodly. I really couldn't blame them; most of her works were of things that didn't even exist; things that would be considered blasphemous.

Monsters.

Dark angels.

Elves.

Werewolves.

_Vampires._

The vampires were the worst of the lot. Aunt Bertha adored them, as was obvious by her use of beauty in their portraits. That was what they were to her: portraits. You see, Aunt Bertha thought that ridiculous things like werewolves and vampires really existed, and that she had met some of them. They were littered all around her works: some of them were blond, like the one who held a striking resemblance to Dr. Cullen; some were red heads, like the terrifying woman that took up most of her own painting; and still others had darker hair like brown or black.

One of my favorite pieces of Aunt Bertha's was the one that had caused the most outrage. It was a simple city scene with people and houses and buses and trains. Perfectly ordinary people on a perfectly ordinary day in a perfectly ordinary city. The church would not have objected if this had been the only thing in the painting. But it was what was in the center of the painting that had outraged them.

A man was standing in the center of the street, the entire city seeming to orbit around him. The people flowed around him; all the houses were the same distance from him; the buses went out of their way to stay away from him. And all the while it seemed as if no one noticed that he was there.

No one looked in his direction, no one acknowledged his presence, and no one seemed to even be aware of him. It was as though they were all ignoring him. And, according to Aunt Bertha, that was exactly what they were doing. It wasn't that he wasn't there; it was that they didn't _want_ to see him.

Aunt Bertha had told me that he was a vampire that she had met while she had been vacationing in Mexico. He had black hair and eyes, pale skin and, to the female eye, was impossibly beautiful. Just like the rest of them, or so I had heard. Personally, I thought that it was ridiculous, this notion that anything beyond the natural could ever exist without us knowing it. I had told this to Aunt Bertha and she had laughed at me.

"That's testosterone and youthful pride talking for you there, Edward. You would be amazed at the kinds of things that you choose not to see in your life." She had said, quickly going back to the piece that she had been working on before I had walked in. But as I stared at the man in the center of the painting I refused to believe that something so major could exist without anyone finding out. They were taking human lives everyday, feeding off of us the way that we fed off of cows or chickens. We were just a food source for them; how could we not know?

The church had agreed with me. They had refused the very possibility of such beings, called my aunt ungodly, and had turned her away, disgraced. She had laughed at them too.

I loved my Aunt dearly, but sometimes I worried about the way she treated people of authority.

"Good morning, sleepy head." I heard her say, shaking me from my thoughts. I walked out of her studio and to the small kitchen. Aunt Bertha lived simply, saying that she didn't need all of the luxuries that her older sister craved. Her kitchen was a stove, a sink and an icebox. I walked to the bar-style table that lined the island where she did most of her cooking.

"It isn't that late." I fought, my voice groggy with sleep.

"Perhaps not for the bats, but even for teenage, spoiled, socialite pretty-boys, two o'clock is pushing it." she chuckled teasingly. I groaned and put my head down on the table top, hoping that the cold wood would help me wake up.

"Why didn't you get me? It's going to take me forever to go to sleep tonight."

"That's not my problem, Ed." I smirked at her nickname for me. I allowed it only because I had had worse in the past. At least it wasn't Eddie. She continued to stir up her paint for a few minutes before turning to the stove. The clack of clay on wood drew my attention to the table. "I made you pancakes."

"Thanks Aunt Bertha." I muttered, shoving one in. Another good thing about Aunt Bertha is that she doesn't care when you eat or what, unlike my mother who was brainwashed into thinking that people my age need three square meals a day while she eats like a bird.

"While you're stabbing, something came for you in the mail today." She winked and handed me a cream envelope postmarked from Chicago. I immediately recognized the soft and loopy handwriting that had scrawled the address hurriedly across the front: Charlotte. I tore open the letter and gently unfolded the paper that it contained.

_My Dearest Edward,_

_While I hope that you are well and are having fun with your Aunt, I can not help but be selfish and wish that you were back here with me. Your mother has been bustling me about to every party that she ever hears about, and I am sincerely sick of being paraded about and showed off to everyone. I think that my feet are permanently scared from all the heeled shoes that she has made me wear._

_Other than that, things are getting pretty boring around here. Nothing happens to me anymore, and no one will talk to me, but I don't really mind. No one says anything of importance; only things that are ambiguous and boring._

_I miss you, Edward. So much._

_I wish that you were here with me. I don't really have anyone to talk to except for William and Blaine._**(****A/N: William Potter is the Mason's butler. He's very kind and understanding in his old age. And Blaine Gold is Edward's best friend. He told him to keep tabs on Charlotte while he was gone. I'm going to put up pictures of the pair of them on my profile.)** _Not that I have anything to talk about. I'm starting to get a little lonely, but please don't trouble yourself and come home on my account. Your mother would be furious. _

_My nightmares are starting to go away a little; they don't happen every night anymore, just most of them. I think that I'm starting to get a little color back, but that might me the dryness of the air._

_It's Thanksgiving here, and I think that half the country must be here. I've had to escape to our room so that I don't get prodded by another grandmother. Gerona has been knocking for about an hour for me to come back down. I know that I should, but I don't want to go back. They tried to ask me about what my life was like before we meet. I love my new family, but I don't think that my heart could bear conversing with them about such things. _

_I'm going to try to change. For you, Edward. I'm truly going to change how I look at how my life is. Here I am, mourning my own past, feeling sorry for myself and I never realized how much pain I've been causing in you. I never saw beyond my own nose to see what my actions were causing._

_And I am so sorry, Edward. I'm so, so sorry I really shouldn't ask if you'll forgive me, even though I know that you will because you are far too kind to me, but my nature bids me to do so. _

_I swear that, in turn for your forgiveness and a second chance, I shall never shed another tear or sob or harsh word that has to do with my past. It will not help it change, no matter if I cried a river that ran through the world and back again. _

_Because now I have you. And that is a very grand thing indeed. _

_Come home soon._

_Love, _

_Charlotte_

I felt the tears of love drip from my eyes and down onto the paper, smearing the words a little. I wiped them away as gently as I could and slipped the paper back into the mangled envelope. I heard Aunt Bertha close the door to her studio and I knew that she would be in there all day.

I pushed away from the table and snatched up the letter. I sprinted up the steps to my room, sitting down at the old and faded oak desk. I placed Charlotte's letter in front of me and read it through twice more. I tried to keep the tears that kept starting away from her words as much as I could.

I sighed again, letting my feelings for my new wife take control of me for once. I loved her, in my own very odd way, and she had promised that she would not think of him anymore. She had promised that she would move on; perhaps this was my chance to show her how happy she could be with me. Perhaps this was my true chance to show her who I was and to make her happy. And I wanted her to be happy wherever she was, but if it was with me it was and added bonus.

I had the strange and intense desire to run somewhere, to scream and shout in joy for reasons that I didn't even understand. I pulled out a pair of old shoes that I had bought just of this purpose. I raced down the hallway to the front door of the house and stepped out onto the small porch that Aunt Bertha used to dry her paintings on hot and dry days.

At the back of the house was a trail to the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. At the front of the house, in the opposite direction, was a trail to a forest, a rarity on the lakefront of New England. I looked in either direction, my mind weighing my options.

The beach would be safe with almost no danger except for the water and the creatures that lived in it. As long as you followed the path, you would be safe, but perhaps not truly happy.

The forest, on the other hand, was mysterious, dark and held more danger than the sea. But that was made it exhilarating and dangerous. At first. Once you knew the secrets of the forest, to see through the danger to the good in its heart, you grew to love it with all your heart, and all your soul.

I turned to my left and sprinted off into the woods, shouting for joy at the top of my lungs.

**I couldn't resist putting a big, fat metaphor in this chapter. Too bad that Ed's happiness is not to last for very long. I think he has a 'hero' complex of some sort. I should probably explain why Charlotte ran away from Andrew in the last chapter.:**

**Charlotte was trying to let go of Andrew because she thought that there was no way in hell that he was coming back to her. EVER. For him to be there and act like he wanted to be with her was a shock to her system. Her mind completely shut itself out after that, and we shall see the consequences of that in the next chapter. **

**Please add Andy if you have a Myspace at: /andrewravenwood1492. Revew.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	30. Sorrow and Fury

**Second chapter in twenty four hours! HUZZAH! I don't really have anything new to report except that I am extremely depressed after writing this because it is so sad. This chapter is kind of short, but I have the next one all nice and planned out and I didn't want to disturb them. This chapter is dedicated to my awesome reviewers and to Edger Allan Poe, who's brilliance inspired most of this chapter. Oh, and I will be gone for another week on Sunday, so I will try to crank out the next chapter tomorrow. Enjoy.**

APOV

I sat on my bed, my feet pressed against the wall, attempting to read a book. My eyes tried to absorb the meaning behind the placement of the words that seemed completely pointless to me. Often I would look down and focus on a page and find that either I had read an entire chapter without realizing it, or that that I had read the same sentence for the last ten minutes.

I sighed. My mind was just too preoccupied for such trivial things as reading. I gave up quickly, throwing the book so that it landed on my bag, which was propped up on a chair opposite of me.

This had become my regular exercise since yesterday afternoon with Charlotte. At first I had tried to read _Wuthering Heights_ but I had stopped at Cathy's death, the description of her withering body hitting close to my heart. I had then started in on my favorite Jane Austen novel _Sense and Sensibility_. All was going well until the third chapter, when my mind zeroed in on one word: Edward. That book had ended up on the pile too. Then, in a moment of brilliance, I picked up my collection of Edger Allen Poe stories.

Horror.

Blood.

Death.

That was what I needed right now. I dove in with wild abandon, reading the scariest stories I could find, and, sure enough, all my worries about my heart were forgotten…until I skipped to the poems…and opened to _Annabel Lee:_

_It was many and many a year ago,_

_In a kingdom by the sea_

_That a maiden there lived whom you may know_

_By the name of Annabel Lee--_

_And this maiden she lived with no other thought_

_Than to love and be loved by me._

_I__ was a child and __she__ was a child,_

_In this kingdom by the sea,_

_But we loved with a love that was more than love--_

_I and my Annabel Lee--_

_With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven_

_Coveted her and me._

_And this was the reason that, long ago,_

_In this kingdom by the sea,_

_A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling_

_My beautiful Annabel Lee;_

_So that her highborn kinsmen came_

_And bore her away from me,_

_To shut her up in a sepulcher_

_In this kingdom by the sea._

_The angels, not half so happy in heaven,_

_Went envying her and me--_

_Yes!--that was the reason (as all men know,_

_In this kingdom by the sea)_

_That the wind came out of the cloud by night,_

_Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee._

_But our love it was stronger by far than the love_

_Of those who were older than we--_

_Of many far wiser than we--_

_And neither the angels in heaven above,_

_Nor the demons down under the sea,_

_Can ever dissever my soul from the soul_

_Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:_

_For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams_

_Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:_

_And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes_

_Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:_

_And so, all the night-tide, I lay down by the side_

_Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride,_

_In the sepulcher there by the sea--_

_In her tomb by the sounding sea._

My hands started to shake, and I could feel the familiar burn that signaled the start of tears. I looked back down at the page again, soaking up the words. The tears of heartbreak that had started to flow from my eyes in burning trails turned to tears of anger and hate. I threw the book so hard that it went into the wall.

I collapsed down on my bed, using my pillow to try to stifle the sobs that were racking my body, shaking me to my very core. I tried not to cry out in the pain and torment that was coursing through my veins in place of blood. I tried to hide all of my emotions inside, so as not to call attention to myself. I failed miserably.

For the weeks that I had been without her, I had not shed one tear for Charlotte. I had wanted to; I also wanted to run back into her arms, but I had eventually stifled that desire as well. I knew why: I had thought that she was happy; happy and free and laughing with her new husband. A new round of cries started as I thought of _him_ the man who had stolen my love from me, and was trying to keep her away from me.

I hated him.

I hated him with a passion that I had not thought myself capable of. I hated that he could kiss her without fear. I hated that he could touch her without worry. I hated that he could be with her without fearing for her life. I hated that he could do everything for and with her that I was forever barred from.

I hated him for being human.

My sobs started to subside a little, the hysterics starting to pass out of my system. The burn of the acid tears passing out of my eyes did not cease or subside, but remained steady. I let out a shaky breath, then confronted the scariest memory of all: Charlotte herself, the way that I had seen her yesterday.

I chocked out another sob, remembering the paleness of her skin and the deadness of her eyes. The way her eyes had looked at me with surprise, fear and panic. The way I felt the warmth of her skin and heard the sweet music of her voice and the beating of her heart for just a moment. And, finally, the way that she had ripped herself from my arms and ran from me, screaming as she went.

There were days when I would have thought that that would have been the right thing; that her living in a world without me would have been the best thing for her to do.

But then it had happened. I had left her without a word of goodbye and now look where I had gotten her: cold, alone, lost and heartbroken.

I had killed the woman I loved.

I heard a soft tap on my door and the rusty squeak of the handle being turned. I ignored the pads of feet on the hard wooden floors. I ignored the weight of a body being placed on the extreme edge of my mattress. I ignored the warm hand that grasped my shoulder, trying to comfort me. I ignored the removal of the weight and the soft pat of paper on the table in the center of the table.

But the one thing that I could not ignore was the man that was the cause of all these actions.

"Andrew?" I heard Friar Laurence ask, a quiet anger resonating in voice. I did nothing to reply. "Look at the paper." I sighed, pushing myself up onto my elbows and off of the bed. I never looked in his direction. I didn't feel the need.

I was too horrified at what was on the page before me.

**Young Socialite Takes a Terrifying Turn**

_Young Charlotte Mason was found in the early hours of this morning sprawled across the sidewalk outside the Chicago Public Library. She was rushed to the hospital where she was found to still be alive. _

_After several hours of surgery, Mrs. Mason was ruled in stable condition. _

_The police have ruled the incident as an attempted suicide, reasons unknown. Mrs. E Mason was unavailable for a statement and Mrs. C Mason had yet to wake up from her drug induced slumber at press time. _

_She is under the care of Dr. Carlisle Cullen at the Chicago Public Hospital. We shall report more details as they become available._

_-M. Sunshine, Chicago_

I could hardly read the last sentence my hands were shaking so hard. Long after I had read it though, several times, I could only stare and gape.

My Charlotte. My beautiful, wonderful Charlotte had tried to destroy herself.

Because of what I had done.

I didn't need a newspaper to tell me that; I knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"But - and -I - but - I - didn't mean- I – why - Edward," I just stood and stammered, trying to form a complete sentence. I looked up at Friar Laurence and immediately shut up at the look on his face.

He was, for lack of a better word, furious. But it wasn't the kind of fury that caused people to lash out and be violent. That kind of anger I could have handled.

But, no. This was the much more horrible kind of anger. The kind of anger that makes people just look at you, sadness and fury mingling in their eyes. They never judge you and they hardly speak, and when they do, they don't even raise their voices. The kind of anger that make you want to crawl under a rock and never come out again because you are so full of shame and regret for whatever it was that you did. It was the most lethal kind of anger and it was the anger that Friar Laurence unleashed on me.

Eight words.

That was all he said, eight words.

But they cut me so deep and so painfully that I thought that I would never recover from their venom.

He looked at me. He looked at the paper. He looked back at me. He went to close the door behind him. But just before he did, he turned back and said:

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself, Andrew."

Then he closed the door quietly behind him.

I threw myself down on my bed and succumbed to my grief, no longer caring if anyone heard me. I wanted her to hear me. I wanted her to hear me sob so that she would know how sorry I was.

So that she would know how in love with her I still was.

But she couldn't and she possibly never would.

I let loose and drowned in my tears.

**I love you Andy, even when you talk in my head when I want to go to sleep. I promise that things will work out for the better. I have a little of that part planned out in my head. The next chapter will be in Edward's and Carlisle's point of view. Review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	31. Return and Farewell

**I'M BACK!! I am sooooooo sorry that I left you guys like that. It was so horrible of me. I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been breathing down my neck to finally finish this chapter. I have the next one practically written so it should be up much faster. I have decided that I will so a sequel that will incorporate some of the truly amazing people I have met using Andy's Myspace RP site. They are the most fun people I have ever met in my life. So, yeah. Breaking Dawn!! I didn't think that it was the best in the series, Twilight still holds that honor (though Midnight Sun could give it a run for its money!) but I did like it very much. I just want to say one thing: I LIKED JACOB BEFORE BREAKING DAWN!! But I love him with all my heart now. And everyone got happy ending. So, yes. Read on my faithful readers.**

_**"**Dumbledore: Harry, do you know why, Professor Quirill could not bear to have you touch him? It was because of your mother. She sacrificed herself to save you. And that kind of act leaves a mark. Oh, no. This kind of mark cannot be seen. It lives in your very skin._

_Harry: What is it?_

_Dumbledore: Love, Harry. Love."_

_-"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"_

EPOV

This couldn't be happening. I just couldn't.

I raced through the city streets, wishing that this was all some horrible nightmare. That I would wake up in a moment and Aunt Bertha would laugh at me for my foolishness. And yet, as I ran up the stairs to my house I knew I wasn't dreaming.

I flung the front door open. I could hear the chatter of people in the next room. I ignored them and went up to our room. I tried not to look at the cold and empty bed as I threw my bags into the room. I heard something crash but I didn't care.

I walked right into the middle of our sitting room; the chatter was unaffected by my entrance. Mother was talking about repainting the walls.

"Mother." I said, all emotion void from my voice. She turned and her face lit up.

"Oh, Edward, darling. I'm so glad you're home." She wrapped her arms around my waist, all of her guests pretending not to notice. Her arms had no affect on me.

"Where is she?" Mother hesitated. "You mean they haven't let her out yet? It's been four days!" Anger was starting to rise up in my chest.

"She hasn't woken up yet." She stated simply.

Horror came on the heels of the anger.

I whirled out of the room, racing back onto the streets. I paid no mind to the people around me. Only one thing mattered to me now.

CCPOV

_Life cannot be fair if one so young and beautiful is made to suffer so much pain._ I thought. I sat next to Ms. Mason's bed, keeping an eye on her. I had been transferred to Ostroff's Mental Institution with her. My supervisor had wanted me to stay at the hospital but I had refused, saying that I needed to stay with my charge.

I concentrated on her heartbeat, making sure that it wasn't too fast or too slow. It was still the same, even pace it had been for the last three days. I went back to my book.

I could hear the rest of the center buzzing with life. The nurses were trying to calm down the rowdiest patients. The cooks were preparing lunch. Someone was doing a crossword on the fourth level. The girl's heart sped up.

I put down my book, glad for the distraction. Ms. Mason's heart sputtered for a moment, then picked up again. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ms. Mason, calm down. You're in the hospital. You're safe now. Everything's alright." She stopped gasping. She blinked twice and opened her eyes. She turned her head and I could see the pain in her ocean eyes.

"Doctor, if everything was alright, we wouldn't be here." She went back to staring at the ceiling. I didn't know what to say. Her brows scrunched together for a minute and she turned to me.

She cocked her head to the side, her eyes staring into mine. I felt squeamish under her gaze, it felt like she was analyzing me.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Carlisle." I said. "And yours?"

"Charlotte, she said quickly. "Carlisle, I'm going to ask you something and there's not going to be any point in lying to me because I already know the answer." She paused. "Are you really a vampire?"

I blinked. She flopped over so that her head was resting on her hands and her eyes were looking into mine again.

"It's not that hard to figure out, you know. Gold eyes. Pale skin. Dark circles under your eyes. The fact that you never work when it's sunny. They make you stand out to the practiced eye." She rattled off her evidence and I was powerless to defy her.

"How could you know about us, Charlotte?" I asked. She looked down and a small tear fell onto her pillow. "Did a vampire do this to you?" I asked, almost sick with worry. It would explain her injuries, the cuts, the gash in her stomach, the broken bones. But she still had all of her blood.

"You could make a case for that, I'm sure. Indirectly, I think you could say that." She said, pulling her knees into her chest. She winced, feeling the bandages stretch over the skin of her stomach. She cried into her pillow, making no sobs.

I felt for her, the poor thing. She probably had poured her heart and soul out to that man and he had treated her like garbage.

"Your husband called us. He said he'd be here today." I said, trying to cheer her up. Her head peeked up from behind her pillow.

"Edward's coming?" she asked, a spark lighting in her eyes. It vanished in a moment and was replaced by horror.

"NO. Send him back. Tell him I'm fine. He doesn't need to see me like this. I've made him suffer enough." She had started crying again and was sobbing.

"Don't you want him to come?" I asked.

"Of course I do. But he's already suffered enough because of my stupid feelings. First I make him think he's unwanted and now I go and do this!" she gestured to her bandages. "I'm the most selfish girl in the history of the world. Doing this to myself wasn't a solution. It was a cheap cop-out." She sighed, rubbing her temples.

"You're a very odd girl. Attempting suicide and then condemning yourself." I said, staring at her. She scoffed.

"You know, about three quarters of the way down, I realized that all the problems in my life were fixable, except for the fact that I had just jumped off a twelve story building." She smirked and I laughed a little. I heard the sound of fast footsteps and a racing heart beat.

"I think I might be able to release you, mentally at least. We'll have to keep you until your wounds heal more properly, but that shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks." The boy was closer. "I think you have a visitor." I shuffled off into my office just as a boy with bronze hair burst into the room.

His eyes met hers and all of his anger melted. His steps were slow, careful, his eyes never parting from her face for a moment. He kneeled by her side, raising a hand to her face.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this." She said just as he opened his mouth. "It's my own stupid fault so _don't say anything._" He closed it again, looking down for the first time. He bit his lip.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice pained. He still didn't look up. She sighed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just needed to figure some things out." She folded her hands.

"And have you?" He looked up at her under his eyelashes.

"Yes. I have. Nice good reality check. That's all I needed." A smirk appeared on his lips.

"You are incredible, you know that?" She beamed.

"Yes, I do. It takes a lot more practice than you would think." She giggled and threw her arms around his neck as best she could. Gauze and tubes held her back a little, so she could do no more than put her forehead against his. He laughed under his breath.

"Here I am, worrying you're dead and you sit here, smiling away." He laughed and pressed his lips to hers for a second. They sat and smiled at each other for a moment. "Move up a bit." He said. She shifted her weight so he could sit next to her.

"I've missed you, Edward. More than you know." She said, laying her head on his shoulder. He reached up to run his fingers through her hair.

"I've missed you too. Life has been even more boring." He teased. His face grew solemn. "Did you mean _anything_ of what you wrote to me?"

She looked down, playing with a button on his coat.

"At the time. Everything except the nightmares. Those just got worse. Your mother just stopped coming in to check on me after the first few days." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "I want to change. I do. Really." He wiped her tears away, shushing.

"I know, love. But, I can't help you if you don't trust me." She nodded, gripping onto his shirt.

They said nothing for a while. They sat in each others arms, a silent connection between them. It almost broke my heart to see two people in such pain. They were in love, even I could see that. A quiet kind of love, though. Deep love was almost always silent.

"When do the doctors say that you can go home?" he asked, one of his hands falling to her waist. His voice sounded anxious.

"Doctor Cullen said that they have to keep me here for about a week, to see if I can heal enough to go back home." She sighed, disappointed. "I want to go home now." She grumbled. She stuck out her lower lip a little bit. The boy laughed.

"But then you might hurt yourself, and then where would we be?" He laughed, kissing her again.

"You should go home, or Elizabeth will pitch a fit." She sighed, putting a hand on his cheek.

"Do you really think I give a damn what my mother thinks?" he snapped. She looked up.

"Of course you do. Don't be all angry, that's my job." She smirked. "GO HOME. Get some calories in your system and get some sleep, you look like a vampire." She laughed to herself at her own private joke. I saw the boy look at me out of the corner of his eye and I tried to nod encouragingly.

"But I don't want to leave you again." His voice was barely a whisper. His tone said that there was something more to this story than I had thought. He looked back her, brushing the back of a hand across her cheek. "I won't abandon you." He said. Charlotte took both of his hands in hers.

"I'll be right here. You can come back tomorrow if you want to. _I'm not going anywhere._" Her words held a ring of promise. A sacred oath. The boy called Edward nodded and kissed her forehead once more.

His eyes held a world of sadness that I was certain he did not deserve. He was a volunteer martyr. He endured the suffering of others without complaint. He welcomed it. He didn't want to see the ones he loves in pain when he could in their stead.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. I didn't dare breathe in case I was to disturb such a moment. Finally, Edward looked down and drew his hands away. He bent down to kiss her softly again. It took guts for them to show their affection that way. Very modern. She smiled softly when they parted and watched him go out the door and down most of the hallway.

She leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes, a content smile resting on her lips. I shuffled over to her, refilling all her medicines.

"He seems nice." I said.

"You have no idea." She giggled. The sleeping pills I had put in her IV started to take hold. "Thank you Doctor. Don't forget to hunt tonight." I smirked and walked back to my office. There was so much paperwork to be filled out until she could be released.

My pen scratched at the paper. A signature there; an explanation here. It was tedious work, but worth it if it allowed her husband to smile again. I felt an odd sense of camaraderie with the boy already. He seemed kind, gentle. But not weak. We were alike in many ways.

I heard Darlene talking to one of the maintenance workers.

"Sir, you can't go in there." She said. The man stopped.

"Fresh towels for Ms. Mason." His voice was odd. Not human. He sounded as if he was dragging himself through life, holding on for dear life. I heard the lock click and the door open. The shuffling of feet. The plopping of cotton on wood. The footsteps started walking back. They stopped. A sharp intake of breath. Slow footsteps and a soft sob.

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. I'm so sorry, my love."

My head snapped around and I ran to the room.

The man was gone.

**I don't really have anything more to say here. Search for Andrew Ravenwood on Myspace, he's the only one there. Review like no tomorrow. I love you guys, you're like my best friends.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	32. Christmas, Pt 1

**Yo Yo Yiggity Yogurt!! I'm not dead yet! Although I am a bit tired of school. It stops me from working. Okay, so yesterday my internet was down so I wanted to work on this chapter and I couldn't stop until it was done. I don't really have anything else to say. Enjoy.**

_"Come on angel, don't you cry."_

_-"My Way Home is Through You" by My Chemical Romance_

**December 25, 1917**

CPOV

"Do I really have to do this, Edward?" I asked. I stared at my reflection in the mirror before me.

"I've had to endure sixteen of these Christmas parties. If I must suffer, than so shall you." Edward said, laughing. He put his arms around me from behind. His movement made the fabric of his white shirt bunch. I felt him kiss my shoulder. "Please be good tonight, Charlotte." He only used my full name when he was being serious. "Mother sees this as your formal introduction as a Mason, and she'll never forgive either of us if it doesn't go according to her plan." His fingers traced the diamonds imbedded into the skirt of my dress and the purple silk at my waist.

"I know, she's talked of nothing else." I sighed. Elizabeth had fussed over me for the last two weeks. Going to dress fittings, sampling different foods, the constant dance lessons with Edward.

Edward's lips touched my shoulder again and I felt him put his forehead to the skin.

"We still have time to make a break for it." He whispered, his arms placing themselves firmly around my waist. "We can go to Giorgio's and get pizza and coffee. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

I saw through the false happiness in his voice to the silent torture. I knew how much he had been looking forward to this. I could see in our dance lessons how much it pleased him to think of me on his arm. And he had been far too good for me to deny him his happiness for the sake of my own. I twisted my body in his arms so that I could lay my head on his chest.

"No. I want this, Edward. I really do." I said, putting as much enthusiasm into my voice as I could.

"Not for me." He muttered into my hair, unconvinced.

"Of course for you." I shot back. "And for Elizabeth. And for myself. I need to show people that I am not as weak as they think I am." I nuzzled my face into his neck. "Besides, I owe you so much already." I felt his arms stiffen. "I would be dead several times over if I didn't have you." My fingers twisted into his shirt, trying to hold him to me forever.

"Don't talk like that. Please." Edward pleaded. His arms clung to me, cementing my body against his. "You have no idea how much I wish I could forget that sight. You in the hospital. Broken. Because I wasn't there to save you." He tried to choke back the sobs. "I'll never forgive myself for doing that to you."

"But it wasn't your fault." I whispered. "It was _him_. No one else. My blood is not on your hands."

"But if I-," I kissed him. I couldn't take it anymore; hearing him when he was like this. My fingers stayed where they were, holding him to me. Edward loosened his hold on my waist.

His lips moved gently with mine, trying to soothe me. I didn't always like when he did this. It was as if he was afraid of acting like my husband. I knew that he treated me the way he did because he cared for me, but still.

I could still remember _his_ kisses. Those had been wild and passionate, not the calm ones that we exchanged. It wasn't as if Edward was a _bad_ kisser. I didn't see why he thought he needed to be gentle with me.

I traced his collarbone with my fingertips and he moaned softly into my mouth. His hands moved quickly, shocking me for moment. He pressed my back into the wall behind me; his left arm cemented my body to his and his right hand held the nape of my neck to secure my face to his.

There was no escape.

Edward's lips were no longer gentle. They moved with a passion and sense of dominance that I had never seen in him. I found that my fingers had twisted themselves into his hair. I sighed and kissed him back. I can't describe how good it felt, having him surrendering to what we both needed so completely. For one long moment, I let myself revel in the fact that it was _Edward _kissing me, holding me, loving me.

But I knew that it was not to last.

I opened my eyes a little bit.

Edward's hair was growing longer and changing into a tangled mass of black. His lips became hard and cold on mine. His skin soon followed suit. The chest that pressed against me became more defined and hard, like a marble statue. He opened his eyes a little and I found topaz instead of emeralds.

I tried to cry out, but his mouth muffled my voice. My hands pushed on his chest, desperate to have him off of me. He mistook my desperation for passion and ran his tongue along my bottom lip. It stung like ice. My arms almost gave out as I pushed him as hard as I could.

He staggered back and my knees gave out as I slumped to the ground. I shrank back as far as I could away from his body. He knelt before me, pain radiating from his eyes.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry." He said, reaching out to touch my face.

"Stay away from me." I whimpered. I remembered those hands on my skin.

"Charlotte, please." He took one step forward.

"Stay back." His body on mine.

"Darling." Another step.

"NO." His voice in my ears, his hands in my hair.

"Charlotte, my love, don't do this." Tears dripped from his golden eyes.

"NO!" The sunlight sparkling off his skin, the way his eyes would go black when he was hungry or angry.

"Please, just come here." His voice broke.

"Go away!" His smile, his laugh, the way his arms would hold me to him at night.

"Let me hold you. Let me kiss you. Let me love you." His hands were almost at my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I HATE YOU!" Him whispering 'I love you'. I wrapped my arms around my knees, curling into a ball.

"Charlotte." A new voice said.

I opened my eyes to a pair of glistening emeralds. I touched his cheek and gasped when I felt the warmth and softness of his skin. His bronze hair was drooping.

"Oh, Edward." I sobbed, falling into his arms.

His arms wrapped around me and placed his chin on my head. His fingers ran through my hair and rubbed soothing circles into my back. He was far too good for me. Once my body had calmed down, he spoke.

"Tell me what you saw." His voice was passive but the hurt I had inflicted was still there. I hesitated. I had refrained from mentioning _him_ since I had left Ostroff's.

"Charlotte, love, please tell me." I did not know what to say, how to put things so that they wouldn't upset him even more. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked, rejected.

"No," I said without thinking. "You were wonderful. You never do anything wrong." I sighed, indulging in the memory of his touch. "I thought that you…" I tried to find the words to describe it. "I thought…" I couldn't do it. I couldn't put that on his shoulders.

"Take you time, Char." We were silent for a moment.

"I thought that you were…" I burst into tears, ashamed at myself for even thinking such an awful thing. I still could not bring myself to say his name to Edward.

"Shh, Char, it's alright. You're safe, I'm here." I felt my body leave the ground and the soft silk of our bed a moment later. For a long while I just laid there in Edward's arms, staining his shirt with my tears.

"Has that ever happened before?" he asked.

"Yes, but never like this. Never that long or far." I answered. The room spun for a moment and I was suddenly facing Edward, the two of us almost nose to nose.

"What? When?" His voice had an unusual edge to it.

"Sometimes, right when I would wake up, I would see him in you stead." I reached up to caress his cheek. "And for one second I thought all of this, all of you, but a dream. A winter's tale." I smiled in spite of myself. "And then I would see you. Warm and loving and waiting and I forgot why I should be sad that you are here and he is not." I lifted my head to place a kiss on his nose.

"I'm so sorry about this, Edward." I whispered. I could hear my voice shaking.

"It's not your fault, Char. He left you, what were you supposed to do?" He said, trying to be noble again. It was kind of starting to get on my nerves

"Not be as selfish as I have been." I said simply. He rolled his eyes.

"Charlotte, you've done nothing wrong. End of story. And now, we are going to go have fun. I know that may be a foreign concept to you, but try." He said, his tone light and teasing by the end of his small speech. I smiled a bit at his efforts. "A bit better, yeah?" He asked and bent to kiss my cheek. I nodded.

"Yes, Edward. You know, I really don't know how I would survive without you." I admitted, looking down at my hands.

"Oh God, here we go again." He sighed dramatically, plopping down on a pillow. He buried his face into the silk, peeking at me from under his hair. I felt my body slowly start to melt under his gaze, the soft emeralds pulling me in. I laid down by his head, tracing the line of his jaw with my forefinger.

"How do you _do _that?" I asked, still not able to look away from his eyes. He propped his head up on an arm.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Oh, don't you talk, you know bloody well what." He smiled a cheeky little grin.

"It's a talent, I suppose." He said simply, playing with one of my hands. I sighed heavily.

"You know that's not a proper answer." I said, pulling my hand away from him and tucking it under my head. He looked a little sad at the loss, but said nothing. I sighed. Why the hell did he have to look so damn adorable?! "I'm sorry." I whispered, cupping his cheek with my palm. "It's just…I don't know." I threw my arm over my eyes and felt him put his arms around me again. I automatically turned to press my face into his chest.

"It's still hard for you, isn't it?" He asked. "Even after all this time. After all that I've done." Something inside me told me that I wasn't meant to hear the last part. I said nothing. I pressed my face deeper into his chest to banish the vision waiting for me behind my eyelids.

"I'm so sorry, Edward." I blurted out. "I'm sorry for everything." I felt the tears start in my eyes again and I tried desperately to banish them back. I felt him pull my face up with a finger.

"There is nothing to forgive." He whispered before he pressed his lips to mine again. I smiled against his lips and squeezed his waist. I didn't deserve such a husband. Someone who would take me, no matter what I had done. Someone to be gentle and kind even when I least deserved it. Someone to make me feel _loved_ again. He released my lips and giggled.

"I love you." I heard him whisper, his voice so soft I wasn't really sure that I had heard it. I froze for half a second, unsure of how to respond to such a declaration. And then my body felt like it was melting and a smiled wider than any that had graced my face in months spread across my lips. It felt as if a warm fire was spreading from the pit of my stomach, making all the ugliness of all my worries flee in terror. I pulled his face down to mine.

"You are everything to me now, Edward." I said against his lips before giving him a whisper of a kiss.

We said nothing for several moments, content with just staring at each other. His eyes were sparkling like the fresh morning dew on grass. It was perfect. So perfect. Perfect enough that for one whole minute, I forgot all about my pain. All about Andrew; it was odd that his name no longer caused me to cringe. All about my accident. All I could remember was Edward. Our wedding. The friendship that had formed soon after. The pure joy I had felt when he was home again. I couldn't bring myself to truly say the words yet, but I did love him. In my own way. And something inside me said that he wouldn't have a single problem with that.

Both of our heads turned when we heard Gerona knocking at the door. Edward sighed when she told us to come downstairs.

"I want to stay too, but you know your mother and parties…" my voice trailed off, letting our punishment to his imagination. He nodded after a moment.

"Point taken." He said and hauled himself up off the bed. I growled at him. After our feverish kisses, a fight, and me bearing my soul to him, he still looked _perfect._ There were times where I really wanted to hate him. And then he would smile that little half smirk and I would melt again. Damn him.

He looked me up and down and reached for the brush on my vanity. His touch was gentle. Soft curls soon crowned my head and my face didn't have one splotch on it. I looked flawless. And I was _beaming_. What a difference a simple smile could make to a person. I looked…great.

Edward laughed at my shocked expression.

"Do you still not see yourself clearly, my dear?" He teased and put his head on my shoulder. "You look amazing. Like a goddess." He breathed, adoration dripping from every syllable that came from his lips. I smiled sheepishly. It didn't bother me when anyone else called me beautiful, but something about the way he said it made me want to fall in his arms again. Our eyes met and he started to lean in for another kiss. A frantic knock at the door made us both groan.

"Coming Gerona!" I shrieked. Edward had pulled on his dinner jacket and was holding out his arm for me. I stood on my toes to kiss him one last time before he opened our door and began our decent into hell.

**So, yeah. That's it. I know it was a little odd that they seem to love each other so much. Never fear, Andrew's going to make some serious hell in the next chapter. Go take the new poll on my page. Look for Andrew on Myspace. Read my favorites. Stay in school. Don't do drugs. Do not reproduce with idiots.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	33. Christmas, Pt 2

**Hello again!! I'm kind of hyper right now because NOVEMBER is coming! And for those of you that do not know, that mean NA NO WRI MO. Translation: writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. Guess who I'm writing about? Yeah, Andy. His whole life. Beginning to end. I am very excited. I have a new poll on my profile. The end to this story is kind of wishful thinking at this point, but I will have to end this sometime. -sigh- This chapter is dedicated to my readers who have stuck with me from the very beginning. Can you believe I started this in MARCH!! Thanks to Jo, for asking me everyday if the chapter was up yet. And, finally, to the spectacularly spectacular Emilie Autumn, whose fabulous songs and poems inspire me to no end. All the poems I use in this chapter are her's from the CD/Booklet "Your Sugar Sits Untouched". Go buy it on iTunes.**

_"Christian: His eyes upon your face._

_His hand upon your hand._

_His lips caress your skin._

_It's more than I can stand!"_

_-"Le Tango de Roxanne" from the film "Moulin Rouge"_

APOV

_These Homo sapiens and their frivolities. _I thought to myself, bitterness that I did not remember having soaking into my voice.

I was perched on the edge of the balcony of the Mason's library, surveying the scene laid out in front of me. A sea of color stretched before my eyes from wall to wall. Scathing reds. Winking greens. Soothing blues. The sound was almost unbearable: an endless clamor of talking and drunk laughing. The warmth radiated from them and licked at my skin like the flames of hell. My eyes turned to each face in turn. All the same, they were. Sheep.

A low growl escaped my lips. I no longer worried or cared about any one hearing me. Any attempt at making contact with me had stopped long ago. Barely any of them dared to look at me, much less talk to me. I terrified them. I could see it in their eyes. They saw me for what I was: a monster. Not a simple man to be trifled with.

I tried not to think of the face I saw reflected in their eyes.

I looked so much more like a monster now. My hair had grown wild and untamed, a result of lack of care. I did not notice it; there was no one I cared enough about to see it. I hadn't feed in weeks. I knew that subconsciously I was trying to destroy myself. I briefly wondered if vampires could die from starvation. Not that I would have really noticed. I was well beyond the point of pain.

I was numb. There was no more reason so why should emotion be allowed to flourish still?

I knew that I was just setting myself up for disaster by following her around like this, watching her like an outsider. A selfish playwright, toying with his character's fate even though he knew full well where they would end. But I was an outsider now. To her. To the whole world.

I closed my eyes and took one deep breath. A plethora of smells swept up to greet me. The fine wine on the breath of the fat senator in the corner. The perfume of the little girl playing with a doll by the fireplace. The beef on the plate of Elizabeth Mason directly below me. And one more thing. One more impossible thing.

My eyes shot to the other side of the room and all my anger melted.

_Charlotte._

I wanted to weep at the sight of her. She looked as she did when she was mine again. Her hair fell down in soft curls like the mane of an Arabian horse I had seen in the East. Her skin glowed in the soft light of the mixture of candles and electric light. I longed to reach for her and hold her waist, more filled out since I had seen her last. The sweet roses had come back to her cheeks and lips. Desire for those lips on mine coursed through my body once again. And her eyes. Her same beautiful eyes had come back. Clear and bright and happy, not the masks I had seen. For one moment I forgot why she was not mine any more.

And then I saw him. _Edward._ My mind spat the name out like an oath. For all my efforts I could not deny him his own perfection. I found it hard but I could not deny how much better for her than I he was. He was not forced to roam, night after night, hoping to slake his thirst for blood. He was not cold and hard and so inhuman.

But I could not stop my anger when his hand touched her lower back and his lips grazed her neck. I could not slake my lust for his blood when he whispered encouragements in her ears and pulled her into a dark corner to kiss her quickly. And I could not stop my heart from breaking at the sound of her laughter and the sight of her kissing him back.

I should not have come back and yet I could not bring myself to leave her now.

The pair of them snaked through the crowd, smiling and laughing and talking with their guests. Sometimes they stayed for a while with ones they knew. The politely talked with ones they did not.

It almost hurt to watch the pair of them together: husband and wife. I tried not to look at the sparkling diamond on the third finger of her left hand. It winked at me, taunted me with a future I was forever barred from.

The sound of squealing brought my attention back to the scene at large. A long mane of dark hair enveloped them and seemed to choke back a sob. Charlotte returned the gesture with a hug of her own.

"Hello mother." She said. Two words and yet they seemed to speak of worlds that I had missed dearly.

"She speaks. Speak again, bright angel." I muttered under my breath. I was too far gone to realize my own stupidity. I saw her eyes sparkle with unshed tears and she reached behind her to grasp _his_ hand again. A hint of a smile played on his face and I growled when he brought her hand to his lips.

The next half hour passed in much the same way: a flurry of squeals, hugs and little touches. Night had fallen outside and my ears picked up the soft pitter patter of snow falling on the roof. People came and went on the streets outside the door. The warm fires crackled in their grates. More food and drink was consumed than in any other place I had ever been in.

My grip on the railing gradually relaxed and my shoulders slouched. I felt the long lost memory of a smile spread across my lips. I would have to leave soon. I knew that and yet I could not bring myself to care enough to realize it. My mind was otherwise occupied studying her nose.

I wondered how I had ever thought I could survive without her in my life. That angel's voice, her twinkling eyes, her wonderful mind and soul that never failed to find new ways to surprise me. Those twin roses that always seemed to know just the right spot to kiss to make all my worries fly away.

I watched her through tea and dinner, content to study her ever movement, every word that blessed the air around her. She seemed ill at ease around the other people, choosing to huddle against _him_ as if expecting an instant rebuff. He never complained about it, but merely touched her hand and rubbed circles into her palm. Her hunched spine would stretch out again and she would go back to laughing and talking with everyone else.

Dinner ended and people went back to the living room at a lazy pace. Men sat with large glasses of brandy. Women were gossiping in corners, sipping on blood red wine. I could hear Charlotte talking in the corner, though I could not make out every word over all the others.

She sat slightly inclined towards him and I sensed that she wished that they were not out in the open and had to hide their affection. His fingers never truly left her skin, stroking back and forth against her small hands. My anger had dulled; the burn of bloodlust had all but died in my throat.

Instead, I felt the cold, hard stab of jealousy.

A block of ice sat in my heart, spreading the despairing sorrow through my body. The urge to snap his neck increased with every little brush of his skin against hers. My shoulders went rigid at the sight of his palm pressed against her neck. He bent to whisper something in her ear and stole a kiss when she turned to him.

My heart sank when she laughed and hit his shoulder lightly. He tried to kiss her again, but she smirked and placed her forefinger between their lips. I saw the word 'later' form on her lips.

The block of ice burst into a thousand shards and became a raging conflagration. The thought of her in his arms, his eyes upon her face, his hand upon her hand, his lips caressing her skin, made me furious. My mind tormented me with the question that lay unanswered at my feet. Had he claimed her in a way that I could only dream of? Did he know her body as well, if not better, than I did?

_No._

Their actions were too child-like, too innocent for that. Before my mind had any more chance to dwell on the subject I heard the ring of metal on glass. The room went silent and everyone turned towards the source of the sound. Elizabeth was standing with a glass, poised with a spoon against the edge. She was smiling, a real smile for once.

"As you all know, our family has gained a member. Finally, a beautiful for me." Charlotte blushed and laughed. "Now, dear, please don't be angry with me, but Edward promised me that you would read some of your poems." Her face turned a violent shade of pink and she glared at _him_. My head perked up and she hesitantly stood and walked towards the piano.

Her hands twisted and I was seized with the desire to hold them. I wondered if he thought the same thing. Her arms twitched and she resisted the urge to hug her torso. I smirked a little, the fire in my soul dying down to a simmer. She always done that when she was nervous. She tried to smile when she reached the piano but it turned out more like a grimace.

One of the young girls laughed a little bit and smiled at her. The action seemed to embolden Charlotte and she took one deep breath to calm her nerves.

Her audience waited, as if she was about to speak the meaning of life.

"I think that I'll just start with a small one, if it's all the same to you." She laughed slightly. The people smiled and urged her on. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if rifling through the files in her brain. she opened them, and began.

"In Praise of Cyrano.

_He had a fault, this is most true  
But others have faults greater still  
A noble profile was his rue  
But many have done greater ill  
And yet he would not show  
His love, nor let her know  
That she was dear  
Though he was near  
He dared not tell her so.  
Now why was he the only man  
To see himself not worth his prize?  
About myself they plot and plan  
How to find favor in my eyes  
But never do they guess  
That I might think them less  
Than one who chose  
Due to his nose  
To love but not confess."_

The guests remained still, knowing there was more to come. Charlotte seemed right in step now, completely at ease. This was her element. Her place of power. I was right with them, hanging on her every word. _He_ had his eyes closed, drinking in the words he probably already knew. My attention turned back to Charlotte as she began anew.

"_Ghost,  
Did you know sometimes it frightens me  
when you say my name and I can't see you  
will you ever learn to materialize before you speak  
impetuous boy, if that's what you really are  
how many centuries since you've climbed a balcony  
or do you do this every night with someone else  
you tell me that you never leave  
and I am almost afraid to believe it  
why is it me you've chosen to follow  
did you like the way I look when I am sleeping  
was my hair more fun to tangle  
are my dreams more entertaining  
do you laugh when I'm complaining that I'm all alone  
where were you when I searched the sea  
for a friend to talk to me  
in a year where will you be  
is it enough for you to steal into my mind  
filling up my page with music written in my hand  
you know I'll take the credit for I must have made you come to me somehow  
but please try to close the curtains when you leave at night  
or I'll have to find someone to stay and warm me  
will you always attend my midnight tea parties  
as long as I set your place  
if one day your sugar sits untouched  
will you have gone forever  
would you miss me in a thousand years  
when you will dry another's tears  
but you say you'll never leave me  
and I wonder if you'll have the decency  
to pass through my wall to the next room  
while I dress for dinner  
but when I'm stuck in conversation  
with stuffed shirts whose adoration  
hurts my ears, where are you then  
can't you cut in when I dance with other men  
it's too late not to interfere with my life  
you've already made me a most unsuitable wife  
for any man who wants to be the first his bride has slept with  
and you can't just fly into people's bedrooms  
then expect them to calmly wave goodbye  
you've changed the course of history  
and didn't even try  
where are you now  
standing behind me  
taking my hand  
come and remind me  
who you are  
have you traveled far  
are you made of stardust too  
are the angels after you  
tell me what I am to do  
but until then I'll save your side of the bed  
just come and sing me to sleep."_

Still no one said anything. I felt the strings of guilt pull at my heart and I wanted more than anything to go down to her and whisk her into my arms. But I could not.

"Two more of my newer ones and that's it." She said, mockingly sever. The boy's head turned, worry etched into the lines of his face and his eyes. I did not understand what he would have to be concerned about. I would have thought him pleased; I was sure every word would be about him. Charlotte seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if she was reconsidering telling them her poem. She pushed the thought aside and went on.

"_I've never tasted tears like these before  
And though they are the saddest I have known  
Their simple cause is none but one of joy  
For now it seems I may not be alone  
Upon this earth as I have been 'til now  
__A truly unexpected twist of fate  
For I had given up on everyone  
Especially myself, and thought it late  
Too late for any soul to cast a line  
His hook would hit the ice and snap in two  
But someone blew a kiss and with his breath  
Unfroze what ne'er a roaring fire could do  
An angel now is mine and from the start  
I knew that I was bound to let him in  
But while I smile I weep because I know  
That something ends so that this can begin  
God, what a fool am I, or am I wise?  
For years have I kept hidden in my heart  
The name of one who never had been more  
But whom I wrote about and set apart  
From other men, though never did I tell  
My feelings, nay, but used him as a muse  
An inspiration, something to adore  
But rarely did I think on what I'd lose  
If ever my affections were replaced  
By someone living, breathing, warm and real  
For while I pledged my life to him in song  
The same for me I knew he did not feel  
If I could tell the truth, I'd say I planned  
To go on in this fashion for all time  
I didn't care he couldn't care for me  
As long as I could own him in each rhyme  
And have someone to think about each night  
When torment after torment wracked my soul  
To writhe in sorrow, bathe in pain's delight  
To fill my pages was my only goal  
Until the day I dared to call it love  
For this love was the only I had known  
And somehow I could keep the rest away  
For in my mind I never was alone  
And being thus in love, though with a specter,  
I never did expect, nor wish, nor care  
To take another in that holy place  
Though in my mind I knew no one was there  
Yay, in my mind, but not so in my soul  
I loved, I swear I loved, else why this pain  
When of my will I opened up the door  
And swept the space where I swore he'd remain  
And something dies within me as I sweep  
As something new is born in every tear  
Past years of memories I long to keep  
A future that I both long for and fear  
There really was no question when it came  
This shooting star, both fire and gentleness  
Who never gave me time to make my choice  
But made my will his own with each caress  
For once and only once I did not think  
Where I should feel and for that I was proud  
But it was one thing to enact the part  
And something else to say the word aloud  
For once I had, I felt a shadow fade  
Which over me had hung for all these years  
And no true loss in all the world could match  
The sense of someone passing with my tears  
I hadn't known 'til then how lost I was  
Enveloped in this mist of my design  
So much of me my muse had thus become  
That in my eyes no star was seen to shine  
Unless it bore some of my phantom's light  
Or carried strains of music in the beams  
Until my soul was open to the view  
No man could enter, except in my dreams  
It's over now and I am not afraid  
I know full well what I am meant to do  
But late at night when I recall my muse  
I cry for us as though he ever knew  
That I had waited years to hear my name  
Once spoken as it should have always been  
I'd wait there still but someone real appeared  
And stole the heart no man could hope to win  
If to my muse I'd ever said hello  
It might not hurt this much to say goodbye  
But there is something tragic in this scene  
Which may appear as joyous to the eye  
Of anyone who witnesses myself  
Bound in the arms and lips of my new friend  
Completed in a way I've never been  
And healing wounds I thought would never mend  
The truth that shattered my reality  
The soul I dreamed but never thought I'd meet  
And now I don't look back except in dreams  
Yet when I do the pain is always sweet  
For only pain can show me who I was  
And from that girl to me how much I've grown  
I've never tasted tears like these before  
And yes, they are the saddest I have known."_

Total silence enveloped the room. Not awkward silence, but and awed silence. Even the small ones who knew nothing of love, understood the weight of her words. I felt the burning tears start to fall from my cheeks and I begged the universe with all my might that it might let me go back to that day at the church when I had left her. Begged to be able to go back, come to my senses and never even think of leaving her for the rest of our lives.

I saw _him _crying out of the corner of my eye, and I was shocked. I had not expected remorse on her part from him. And then it all made sense. The gentleness of his touch, the softness of his words and playfulness of his kisses. He loved her. As impossible as I wanted the thought to be, I knew it to be true. He loved her and hated to see her in pain as much as I did. It was one of the most profound moments of my life.

He knew. He had to know about me. Else, why would he treat her the way he did? With such care and love. He knew how broken she was and was trying to fix her, piece by piece. It did not matter to him that she could not love him back as much as he wished. As long as she was happy and warm, he did not care. He caught her eye and I saw her smile at him. A real, warm smile.

It was a shame that I was going to stay. I had decided against everything I knew to at least try to win her back. If she turned me away…well, that would be that. I would no longer interfere. But if she still loved me…I did not let my mind entertain the thought. It was impossible to me.

Charlotte cleared her throat and all attention was back to her. She winked at Edward before she began, as if to say 'this one's for you'.

"The Day You Love.

_Remember and tell me, the day you love  
Behind a veil of tears  
How dreams as these you dreamt not of  
And thought to pass your years  
More peaceably than others do  
Devoid of common pain  
Your own company pleased you  
And as you heard complain  
Of those small hurts that never heal  
And scar their victims deep  
You oft' proclaimed your heart could feel  
No love and sought to keep  
Your perfect brow untarnished by  
The sorrow you would save  
Your perfect lips unvarnished lie  
To kiss might thee enslave  
Protected are thy limbs. No fear  
Of deeds unseemly grasp thee  
Directed by thy perfect ear  
No words could hope to clasp thee  
Indeed thou will not be enshrined  
Will honor no man's name  
But in disdain you are, you'll find  
Enshrined all the same  
In your defense, you say not so  
When standeth thee accused  
Of hatred for mankind, but O  
How hast thou been abused  
That such a mortal fear could frighten  
All your nature wills  
So much so that what might enlighten  
Passion, pity kills  
And cannot bear to look upon  
A soul you have enraptured  
With cruel haste you bid begone  
The fools you have encaptured  
Mistake me not. It is unjust  
For every love struck squire  
To claim a heart he hasn't won  
But what of your desire?  
Can'st thou pretend within thy breast  
A beat was ne'er misplaced  
And lost somewhere?  
Dost thou but jest  
To say thou never traced  
With trembling fingertips the image  
Of a foreign shore  
Embarking on a pilgrimage  
To where none touched before?  
The most deluded eyes could see  
Thou harbor'st in thy frame  
A store more rich than most should be  
__In every sense's flame  
That thou dost feel I know it well  
That thou dost weep I'll swear  
That thou dost love I'll live to tell  
If thou would only dare  
Remember and tell me, the day  
You love beyond all this  
What truth within_ _my counsel lay  
And thank me with a kiss."_

She nodded slightly and a roar of applause burst out from her audience. She blushed at the cheers, but stayed and smiled. I could tell that she was pleased with their reaction. It showed in the glow of pride in her eyes. She laughed again and snaked he way back to Edward. I forced myself to think his name. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded. His hand pushed her off towards the stairs to their room.

I ran without thinking and beat her before she had a dream of seeing me. I resisted the urge to bury my face in her pillow and simply sat on her chair, waiting for her to open the door.

**Oh yes, I AM that evil! I don't know what's going to happen. Seriously. I don't have school tomorrow, so I'll try to crank it out tomorrow. OH! I got into my school play!! We're doing 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and I'm Lady Bracknell, the old hag. Tis fun. **

**Review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	34. Christmas, Pt 3

**Alright, people. Here it is. Andrew has finally come to his senses and come back to Charlotte. All happy bunnies and rainbows right? Perhaps. Perhaps not. TWILIGHT A WEEK TOMORROW!!!!! I have like no life anymore because of school and the play and show choir. But after next weekend I can finally sleep. People, stop ragging on Rob and Kristen. I try not to judge the movies as books, just as movies. They are not going to be completely like the books, so why bother? Anyway, enjoy.**

CPOV

I hummed softly to myself on the way up the stairs. Not a care passed my mind when I turned the knob and passed through the door. When I saw Andrew out of the corner of my eye, I paid him no mind. I was used to my delusions and was determined to ignore them as often as possible.

I reached under the mattress to pull out Edward's Christmas present: all of my little poems, all nice and bound up in leather. A red bow was wrapped around it, and it shone it what little light was left in the room. A note was attached: _Now you'll never have to leave me._ I smiled to myself and headed back towards the door. I ignored Andrew when he called out my name; I was used to that happening. I ignored the sound of footfalls heading towards me and did not turn as I would have a few months ago. I could not, however, ignore the icy hands that grazed my forearms and held my shoulders.

I froze.

Even my wildest delusions had never produced his touch. And his voice had never sounded so…perfect. The shade of his hair hadn't been off. His onyx eyes were deep and sparkling, not the flat orbs I was used to seeing. Every line of his face and curve of his body was in its proper place. I turned in his arms and reached up to brush my fingertips against his jaw. A hint of his old smile graced his features. My hand dropped and my awe melted away. It was replaced by an emotion I was not accustomed to feeling in his presence:

_**Rage.**_

"Get your hands off me." I hissed through my teeth. He blinked once and opened his mouth to speak. He sighed and said nothing. He dropped his hands back to his sides. I could see that he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. His hair fell over his eyes and for half a second I wanted to apologize and fall into his arms as if nothing had happened. And then I remembered.

"What right do you think you have to come here, after all that you've done?" My voice was lower, deadlier, than I had expected. I saw him flinch but he didn't look up.

"_You left me, Andrew._" I managed to choke out. His name burned in my throat and made the rift in my heart open again. I tried to stop the traitor tears from falling. He flinched again, still not meeting my eyes.

"I know." He said. I was surprised to find that his voice was shaking. "And I was wrong. No. No, so much more than wrong." A tear slid down his nose. His eyes flashed to mine and I gasped at the torment I saw. The self-loathing. My mind accepted what he said, registered his remorse, but my heart still did not trust him.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe anything you say." I challenged. He blinked again. I nearly laughed. He hadn't expected _that _to be the first thing out of my mouth. "Tell me why." I said again and walked over to the chair he had been sitting in. He turned but did not move towards me. A very slow smile spread across his face.

"You don't know?" He laughed, sounding like a maniac. I didn't know what to say. "Have you looked at your husband lately?" He laughed, sitting down on the bed. I didn't know what he meant, why was Edward a part of this?

"I don't know what you mean." I said slowly, causing another round of hysterics from Andrew.

"You expect me not to think that you'd leave me for _that!"_ His voice was smaller, much more serious than before. His laughter died and he looked me right in the eye. "That you wouldn't abandon a monster for a loving, _human_ husband? That you wouldn't keep me? That you wouldn't learn finally of what I was and rid yourself of my company forever?" His voice was softer now, and he had moved so that he was kneeling in front of me. He raised one hand to brush his thumb against my cheek. The cold of his skin did not seem so alien to me now. He looked down at his fingertips and frowned at the sparkling drops of tears.

"Is that what you thought?" I asked, my own voice smaller than I had anticipated. This new piece of information took me by surprise. Leaving me because he didn't want me was one thing, but to leave _because_ he wanted me…well, it seemed impossible. I looked back down and saw that the sadness on his face had melted into confusion.

"What else would you think I would do?" He asked. He rolled his eyes. "I mean, you couldn't think that I could stop loving you in every way, ever." He almost laughed but I couldn't tell. I was too busy looking down at my hands. I heard a sharp intake of breath. "You did, didn't you?" He asked, his voice breaking again. I nodded silently, twisting and untwisting my hands. I looked up and saw the tears trickling down Andrew's face. "Oh God, what have I done to you?" He sobbed, pulling his knees up to his chest.

I wanted to reach out and put my hand on his shoulder. To ease his pain and release him from his guilt. But my hands never moved. I couldn't do it; couldn't comfort him. Because I didn't want to. I wanted him to feel, just for one second, what I had been feeling for the last two and half months. I wanted to tell him _exactly_ what he had done to me, to make him understand the weight of what he had done. And I did.

"You made me feel so unwanted. Unlovable. Like I was worthless and not worthy of the privilege of living." I said, feeling myself choke up a little. "You sat in my mind and tormented me in my dreams. You made me think you the monster you tried so hard to tell me that you were. You made me want to destroy myself; to annihilate the people who cared for me most." His shoulders shook and he rocked back and forth to stop himself from crying. "And you taught me that life is not one of my fairy tales."

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders so that my mouth was by his ear. "And I forgive you." I whispered. I knew that I could never hate him, even for what he had done. I would always feel something for him. I wasn't sure if I could love him again, but I was willing to try to. Willing to give him another shot. But not now. Not with my all too loving husband waiting for me back downstairs. I shot another glance towards the door and I felt him laugh.

"You love him, don't you?" He asked and I knew he already had an answer in mind. "He loves you so much, you know. Or at least he thinks he does." He sniffled. The thought broke his heart and I knew he didn't want me to see that. It was so like him to try to get me to go into the arms of another man.

"You haven't changed at all, have you Andrew?" I giggled before answering him. "And yes, he's the greatest friend I've ever had in my life. He saved me from myself. How could I not feel something for him after that?" I did not tell him the extent of what my feelings were. He was suffering enough from the looks of it.

He opened his mouth to speak again but never go the chance to say anything. His head snapped towards the door. Footsteps. I wanted to smack myself. I had forgotten all about Edward. Andrew's eyes went from me to the door and back several times.

"Tomorrow night. There's a room down this hall at the end. It's my second bedroom for when I get sick. Meet me there." I said before I could stop myself. A part of me wanted to bite back the words and kick him out for good, but she quieted when I saw how a spark of light appeared in his eyes. The thought of seeing me again, under any circumstances, made him…happy. I felt my eyes start to prickle.

Edward knocked at the door. I swung open the balcony doors. The cold air was like a wake up call, clearing my mind. Horror consumed me. I saw all my nightmares flash before my eyes and I pulled Andrew over to the edge. "Go. Please, hurry." I pleaded. The very notion of Andrew and Edward being in the same room together made my legs shake.

He said nothing, just nodded and jumped out into the night. I could catch his dark figure against the white and breathed out at last when he was gone. Edward knocked again.

"One moment!" I yelled, yanking off my dress so that I was left in my undergarments. I pulled on my robe. I mussed my hair and makeup to make it look as if I had been preparing for bed. I stayed at my vanity when I heard the doorknob turn. I smirked when I heard a sharp intake of breath.

"One would think that a man such as you would be more accustomed to seeing his own wife in her underwear." I laughed, turning around to smile at him. Edward was standing in the doorway, his body half in and half out of the door. He looked almost…wary. I was surprised. My appearance usually had no effect him. A feminine pride swept through me. His cheeks flamed and he finally passed into our room. I turned back to my mirror.

"Why did you not come back?" He asked. I could hear his footsteps behind me and he scooped to pick up my dress. His hands caressed the silk and he placed it on the bed. I didn't know why, but the simple gesture made me choke up. His head whipped around when he heard me cry out. My head fell into my hands and I felt his arms circle around my shoulders.

"I should not have made you do this." He said. I laughed without humor. He always found a way to turn my shortcomings on himself. "All I ever do is cause you pain." He whispered. I saw red and slapped him across the face.

"Will you STOP THAT!" I shrieked. My tears had stopped but I took notice. "I'm so sick of you talking like that!" I fought to make my voice gentler. "Edward, you saved me. You still do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't have you." My voice had grown softer and I wrapped my arms around his waist. His arms returned the gesture. I could feel their warmth through the thin silk of my robe.

That was it. The opportune moment. The moment to say those three little words that he had whispered in my ear earlier. Could it only have been hours ago? I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

But no sound came out.

I wanted to. my mind screamed at me to say it. To make myself his forever.

But I couldn't. My tongue felt as if it had migrated to the roof of my mouth, making me incapable of speech.

_I love you._ I said softly in my mind. _You are, and always shall be, my truest friend._ I sighed. I could never tell him I loved him, for it wasn't true. Not the way I wanted to mean it. It wasn't the friend kind of love he wanted of me. He wanted me to be a wife in love with her husband.

I cried softly into his chest and he pulled me to our bed. He didn't bother removing his clothes, just tucked us both in as we were. I wept silently, staining his shirt with my tears. He never seemed to notice. His fingers weaved into my hair and rubbed circles into my back.

It still felt like heaven, being in his arms. The warmth and gentleness of him calmed me as only one other had managed. But that night, as I drifted off into my dreams, there was something underneath the heaven.

Angels were said to be the happiest creatures in existence. Beings able to live forever in heaven without fear and pain. But I felt sorry for them. They could no longer walk among the ones they loved. They were forced to watch over from above, seeing but not able to do more. Sure, heaven was, well, heaven. But to someone who wanted to return to the imperfect world of Earth, it was a prison.

That night, Edward's arms became my cage.

My dark tower.

_My heaven._

**I actually really like this chapter. My friends and I were talking about how much a wuss Bella was to take Edward back just like that. There was no yelling involved and it didn't seen possible to me. Andrew's going to have to work his ass off to win his way back in Charlotte's heart.**

**I have a little challenge for you. I want YOU guys to make the playlist for this story. Review or PM with a song. Tell what artist, song title, and person it's for and I'll feature them when I have ten. I'll run this for a few chapters, but I'll stop writing if no one responds.**

**You have been warned.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	35. Choice

**Here it is, all nice and shiny. It's about fifteen minutes to midnight my time and I've been working on this all day. I've been listening to Linkin Park on a loop to keep me going. I have good news. 1. I LOVED TWILIGHT! It was very well done, and my love for Emmett and Jasper went up like tenfold. Jacob was adorable and I look forward to seeing him again. I hope he has a crazy growth spurt so they can use him in New Moon. Robert did a very good job. He exceeded my expectations and thoroughly met my image of Edward. Mike, Eric and Tyler were hilarious. I have a crush on Carlisle now. Rose was such a bitch, I LOVE IT. Alice was ADORABLE. And Emmett was just so...Emmetty. Jasper's image was with me while I was writing and he's pushing for me to start writing his bit in 'Ghost's from the Past' which I hope with be up soon. Esme was fine, but I didn't see much of her, so i can't really form an opinion. But my favorite character, I have to say, was CHARLIE! The bit where he was cleaning his guns and drinking bear just sold it for me. Enough of my rambling, more news at the end. Read on.**

_"Have I murdered our love?"_

_"Earthquake" by The Used_

CPOV

I dreamt of Andrew that night. Not as he was now, with the haunted eyes and empty smiles, but as he had been: bright and warm and loving. I knew nothing of Edward in my dream and he knew nothing of me. I only saw Andrew with his midnight hair and perfect eyes.

We talked of everything and nothing. Of dreams and fears. Of loves and losses. Of life and death. We did not touch or kiss, but just being with him was enough to sustain me.

When at last the sun began to fade and the stars appeared on the horizon, his eyes darkened.

"What is it, my love?" I asked, brushing a stray lock of hair away from his eyes. The touch sent a bolt of electricity through my hand and to my heart. He sighed and pressed his lips against my palm. I sighed and leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I felt whole again when I touched him, as if he had never been away and had been with me this whole time.

"You must soon be gone away, dear one." He whispered. His voice sounded tortured, as if the thought caused him actual pain. I pulled back, my brow kitted together. "Your husband shall be wondering where you are." He laughed, kissing my forehead. His arms were like iron around me, anchoring me to him for as long as possible.

"But I haven't got a husband, Andrew." I said. "Only you." I laughed at his foolishness and kissed his nose. He smiled sadly and held me close.

I saw a man emerge from the edge of a forest. His bronze hair and piercing green eyes flashed in the last light of the sunset. His eyes caught mine and a strangled cry broke from his lips. A tear dripped down his nose and flashed like a star. Wait, I knew this man. Edward. Yes, that was his name. I lifted my left hand and saw the ring glittering on my third finger. I looked back down at Andrew, torment reflected back at me in his eyes.

"Oh, my love. If only if were so."

I awoke with a jolt and sat straight up in bed. My heartbeat was erratic and my breath came in gasps. I felt a hand over mine and turned to see Edward staring back up at me. I brought the blankets up to my shoulders, suddenly aware of the little clothes I had on.

"Pleasant dreams?" He asked. His face was expressionless except for his eyes. A flash of betrayal shot through them. _What the-oh, shit. I talk in my sleep. _

"Whatever you heard, Edward, it wasn't true!" I cried, twisting my fingers into the collar of his shirt. He must not have taken it off last night.

"Oh, wasn't it? You sounded pretty convinced to me." The mask fell apart for half a second and rage showed on his face. I gasped, but only held on to him tighter.

"It was only a dream. It means nothing. Don't leave me. Please, I would not be able to bear it." I begged. Tears fell out of my eyes and stained the front of his shirt. I needed Edward. I still wasn't sure if the Andrew I had seen last night had been real and if he wasn't, and Edward left me as well…I did not want to think about it. _"Please."_

"Who was he?" He asked. He didn't sound quite as angry, but the rage had been replaced with hurt. I flinched and held him all the more tightly. "The man that made you forget me?"

"No one." I said, too quickly.

"Don't lie to me." He spat. I felt him take a breath and he spoke a little calmer. "Was it _him? _That monster that left you so long ago?" My silence was enough of an answer for him. "Oh, Charlotte, you promised me you would forget him." He sighed, pressing him lips to my hair.

"I tried, Edward. Truly, I did. And for a while, I think I did." I said, my voice small. I knew that I was hurting him. "I love you." I whispered, burying my face in his chest. It was true enough. All my certainty I had had last night had faded into a single gray mass. I needed to see Andrew again, if he even existed outside my mind, to talk to him. After that…I would know. Right at that moment, both of them had an equal place in my heart.

His fingers tangled in my hair and dragged my face up to his. "I love you, too." He said before pressing his lips to mine. I did not like this kiss; it felt too much like my last one with Andrew. Fear welled up in me again and I latched my fingers into his hair, cementing him to me. I couldn't let go at this point, it would be too horrible. I was still afraid. I knew that any second, he would laugh softly and pull away from me, like I had the first few times we had been like this.

But he didn't. Instead, he did something I had only seen in him once before then.

He reacted.

His breath came in a gasp and the weight of his body pushed me back into the bed. I sighed and my lips parted. A shiver ran down my spine when I felt his tongue slip into my mouth. I opened my eyes just a touch and sighed again. Edward was still Edward. A soft moan escaped my lips at the touch of his tongue on mine.

His hands were everywhere. My arms, my hair, my legs. I was aware of how naked I was, comparatively speaking, and his hands felt warm and soft against my bare skin. A tiny part of me was afraid of how far this would go. Andrew had seen and touched places that Edward had yet to see, but we'd never done, well, _that._ He was ridiculously stubborn about my safety, no matter how hard I argued.

I bit down on Edward's tongue playfully and his hands ran up the back of my corset. I hated the damn thing, but I had to wear one with a dress with not straps. I felt him tug on one of the ribbons holding it so tightly in the back. My fingers went to the buttons on his collar and undid the first three. I ran my fingers along his neck and he moaned into my mouth. His mouth fell to my neck, licking and sucking as he went. I gasped and finished my work with his shirt, slipping it off his shoulders and tossing it away from us.

A growl sounded in his chest and he hitched one of my legs around his hip. I did not know how, but I had released something in him. His soft touches were soon turning into passionate, yearning strokes. I knew I should have been appalled, but I could not find it in my heart to stop him. I could not compare him to Andrew. They were so different that it would not have been fair to either of them.

I moaned and ran my fingertips up and down his spine. He nipped at my neck, sending a pleasurable shock through my body. I moaned again and lifted my hips, rubbing them against his. _"Edward."_ I said in a breathy moan.

He growled again and brought his lips back to mine with an almost animalistic passion. I was drowning in him and he in me. His fingers toyed with the black satin ribbons that tied my corset together. I had had them laced there in an extravagant moon. I ran my hands down his chest. Despite the gentleness he had treated me with since we had met, I found his body to be strong. Not like a bodybuilder or anything, but strong.

My fingers found their way back to his hair and I felt him tug apart the bow at the top of my corset. I lifted my head to expose my neck to him and turned it towards our window to give him better access. My eyelids hung half open and I saw a flash of black drop below and out of sight.

My heart sank and the full gravity of the situation dawned on me. Edward's lips were not cold or hard enough. His hands were not forceful. His hair was not long enough and my heart felt cold from being in his arms. I was a stupid girl with her stupid heart that was hurting both of the most important people in my life.

_I was a monster. Only a monster._

I pushed back on Edward's shoulders, but he did not release me. His hold loosened, but did not break. "Edward. Edward stop." I said softly. He didn't. I started to squirm, desperate to get out of his arms. Still he did not surrender. His fingers started undoing the ribbons and making my corset looser. "Edward, please." I begged, tugging on his hair. His lips came crashing down on mine and I let out a scream into his mouth. I beat my fists against his chest and pulled my legs up to my chest. My eyes were wide and scared. His opened just a bit. Tears were streaking down my cheeks. "Please let go." I pleaded after his lips had released me.

His arms unwound from around my waist so fast I got whiplash. I scrambled away from him and gathered the blankets around my shoulders, covering as much of my skin as possible. My body was shaking and I knew I had let this go on for far too long. Edward reached a hand out. I knew that it was probably to wipe my tears away or something harmless like that, but my body flinched away from him. His hands recoiled slowly. He said nothing to me. He didn't want to worsen the situation, I think. His hair was a mess and his lips were red and swollen from out kisses.

I wanted to tell him I was sorry, but I couldn't find the words. I shook my head slowly and ran a hand across the top of his. He nodded, understanding that I wanted to be alone for now. He stood up and gave me one last look before grabbing his shirt and disappearing out the door and down the stairs.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

I did not know how long I cried. I did not know what I cried for. I knew I cried for Edward, and the pain I was going to have to make him feel in the coming months. I cried for Andrew and the stark betrayal I had performed against him. I cried for lost love. I cried for unrequited love. I cried for love found again and love that had been stamped on in the mud.

My tears dried and I bathed and got ready for bed again. Gerona brought me something to eat, but it sat in the corner, untouched. Edward had gone over to Blaine's house for the weekend, no doubt to talk to him about me. I curled up on the bed, my knees pulled up to my chest. Night had fallen outside and I had the candles lit around me. I did not know what I planned to say to Andrew if he even showed up. What could I say to him?

A gust of wind ran past my window and I heard a pair of feet land on the floor. I gasped softly and saw Andrew leaning against the door frame. I had forgotten how beautiful he was, the grace and power in which he held himself. Oh, God, how could I ever repay him enough for my sins? It was odd, thinking of it that way. Andrew and I would be considered a sin in most major belief systems. I was married and he was a vampire, heresy in itself.

"I considered not coming." He said, still not looking up from the floor. His hair hung over his face and hid his eyes from me.

"I wouldn't have blamed you. I would deserve you leaving again." I said softly, not able to look away from him. His eyes flashed to mine.

"Don't _lie_ to me, Charlotte." He spat. "I saw you. You would have been pleased if I had not come. Given you more time to shag that _Edward_ of yours." I flinched when he said his name like a curse.

"What I did was evil and I knew you would hate me. I'm a monster and all I do is hurt you." I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I heard footsteps and suddenly Andrew's eyes were right next to mine.

"No, Charlotte. If you were a monster, you wouldn't care if seeing you in the arms of another man would hurt me." He said softly. His breath fanned over me and I drank it in. "You are a wife and he is your husband. I believe that's the natural order of things." He tried to laugh.

"Why didn't you take me away with you when you first heard of all this?" I asked, tracing the lines in the back of his hand with a fingertip. "Why did you insist of making me suffer through all this? The marriage. You leaving. Edward loving me and me not being able to love him back. Why, Andrew?" My voice snapped when I said his name and I felt the traitor tears drip down my cheeks.

"Because," he began. "I thought that you would see that me being with you was hurting you. I thought I was strong enough to stay at first. That I would be able to endure watching you with him, but I was wrong. So I took the coward's way out and ran. Just ran. I didn't stop for almost a month. And I realized that it was impossible for me to live without you and I came back. That was the night of your first kiss." He sighed. I flinched, remembering the night well.

"I stayed because I knew that I would just come back. When I saw you walking alone in the forest, in our place…" He broke off, unable to speak. Something dawned on me.

"It really was you, wasn't it? You were really there that day, trying to tell me that you were back for good?" I asked, my mouth open in horror. He nodded softly.

"And you ran from me, love, screaming as you went. Just like I had always been afraid of happening." A single tear fell down his cheek and I brushed it away. "And then when you tried to destroy yourself because of what I had done to you…I wanted to kill myself if it would make you happy again." I grabbed his hands, holding them tightly.

"NO. Don't you ever say that, Andrew. I've never been happier than when I've been with you and I don't think I can be happy _without _you." I begged. The words that I had held in for so long were out and I saw the spark of light reappear in his eyes. A ring of ocher appeared around his irises. His hands held my wrists and he kissed both my palms. The electric shock that I had felt in my dream shot through my body.

"I shall never leave you again, my love. I shall always be here and I shall always try to make you happy and I shall never be cruel to you again." He swore and I could hear the truth in his words. I leaned into his chest and he wrapped his arms around my torso. I had missed the coldness of his skin.

He scooped me up into his arms and laid me back on the bed and laid me beneath the covers. He put a blanket between us so I couldn't feel him anymore.

"Please, don't." I said, tired for a reason I did know. He did as I asked and slid in next to me. I turned him over so that he was on his back and I laid my head on his chest, wrapping my arms as best I could around his waist. "Please don't leave me." I begged, holding on as tightly as I could. He returned the force of my hold and kissed my hair. I sighed and snuggled closer to him.

"Never, my love. Never again." He promised. I drifted to sleep in his arms and for once in a very long time, did not dream.

**So, yeah. I cracked and they got back together. GERARD AND LYNZ ARE HAVING A BABY!!!! Soon there is going to be a little Gerard. -giggles-. Okay, so I'm hoping my hunger doesn't consume me and I work through lunch at school tomorrow and get up the first chapter of the first story in the "Ghosts from the Past" series. I'll be working on my Martha story once in a while in between working on my vamp tales. I should go to be now, lovies. Review.**

**Until we meet again, **

**the 3rdbronte**


	36. Realization

**Hello, dear ones. I be back. This chapter is a nice bit of filler. I felt as if we were loosing touch with the central narrative of Andrew and Edward in Italy, so I wrote my boys a chapter. I've decided to start putting times and places below the POV's so people can keep the story straight. Just a little thought from me. Musical Rehearsals start on Wednesday, so it may take awhile for me to update, but I promise I won't forget you all. This chapter shows my fascination with Jane and Alec. I love them, in a very odd sort of way. I was thinking of putting in their own GOP story. (The first one with Alice is up.) I was also thinking about trying my hand at a Lemon, so if you really want me to write some Andy/Char smut, just say so and I can take a crack at it. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when this is all over. A lot had to happen. Edward finds out about Andrew (next chapter), Edward had to die, (crying is going to ensue), and, of course, Charlotte has to die. One of my friends brought to my attention that there is a character in the series named Charlotte. A complete coincidence. I've been thinking about this a lot. I can't bring her back. I just can't. It would ruin the whole point of this story. And I think I would hate myself if I did. **

**Enjoy.**

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**_"There's a lot to be said for self-delusionment when it comes to matters of the heart."_  
_Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, First Snow, 1993__  
_**

_EPOV_

**Present Day; Volterra, Italy; Andrew's Room**

I did not know what to say to him. We had both been telling the story up till now and I was not in any hurry to discuss it. I knew what I _wanted_ to say to him. Well, what Human Edward would have wanted to say. Very few words that could be said in front of a lady were involved.

And yet I did not dare to utter a word of it. I could remember all the pain of her rejection and distance. The hours spent alone, trying not to hear the whispers down the hall. I did not really _know_ about him for months. Charlotte was not a fool and had hid her work well. She had never been unfriendly, per se. She had never cut herself off from me completely.

She had still smiled at me and talked cheerfully enough. But the sweet kisses and long nights spent talking had stopped that day. I knew what had happened and yet my heart refused to believe it. I had been in love with her. I had been a fool.

Andrew was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed. His hair hid his face from me like a curtain. His fingers twisted and untwisted, out of nerves, no doubt.

"I…I don't know what to say." He said at last. The words seemed louder than they actually were, reverberating off the walls. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"It's alright. Really, it is." I said. "I can't look you in the eye and tell you I wouldn't have done exactly the same thing if I had been in your position." _You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen._ Vizzini's words echoed in my mind. A laugh without humor broke from my lips. How true it was: a boy had stolen another man's love and expected nothing to come of it. And when it did, he had thought it unfair. How wrong he had been.

"Is that the end of the story?" I asked, looking back at him.

"Oh, no. There is still a story left. A great many things still have to happen, not all of them to my knowledge." He said.

I thought it over for a moment. I still had to find out about "my wife's affair", I still had to die, and so did she. I gulped when I thought of her death. I remembered when I was sick that she never seemed to bat an eyelash at the possibility of her dieing. She didn't get infected, and for a time I had thought that she couldn't die. It looked like I was wrong.

Another tear slipped down Andrew's cheek.

"Andrew?" I asked. He looked up. "How can you cry? I thought it was impossible." He sighed and wiped it away.

"It is, for most of us. We go through life with pain and live with it, killing for our release from it. And for most, almost all of us, it's enough to just keep it all bottled up inside until it's finally just gone and disappeared. But there are a few, like me, and maybe one day you, that can't just keep it all inside. That feel pain so intense and total that you have to let it out somehow. You scream, you thrash and you cry; really cry." He sighed and ran his fingers through his bangs. "Because it's just too much. Much too much." He looked back up at me, his eyes that never seemed to lighten deeper than ever. "That's why I can cry. And why one day, if you keep doing what you're doing, you may gain the ability back as well."

I didn't even bother asking what he meant. He wouldn't tell me if I did. It was just his way, I had learned.

For a long while, neither of us said anything. There was nothing to say. It was like a very gender bended version of Pre-Revolutionary France. Charlotte was King Louis, I was the Queen, and Andrew was Madame de Pompadour. Of course, those two had gotten along quite well, while I was sure that we would have been at war with one another.

A knock came at the door. Both of our heads lifted up. Andrew's eyebrows knitted together.

"No one ever comes to call at this time of day." He muttered. He dragged himself off the floor, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

_APOV_

"Jane?" I asked. The young girl was standing right outside my door. Just standing. Not yelling or causing pain. Just standing like a civil person. "What you doing here?" I asked, leaning back against the door. She said nothing, just looked at her feet. She looked almost…vulnerable. But that was impossible.

"Um…Gianna said that there was this woman asking about Edward and Aro wanted to know if you were done with him yet." She said, never looking up.

"No. Not just yet, no." I said. I took one long drag from the air off her. Alice. Yes, most defiantly Alice. Poor thing, she had to be worried sick, not being able to see into Edward's future. She probably thought he was dead, relatively speaking. Bella had to be on the verge of a heart attack. I didn't doubt that she was alive. Taking the information second-hand from a woman who never really liked Bella in the first place, who in turn got it from a woman who's visions may or may not come true, left an awful lot of room for error.

Jane nodded, but did not move.

"Was there something else you wanted?" I asked, trying to prompt an answer out of her. She bit down on her lip and said nothing. I sighed and bent so that I was on eyelevel with her. "Was there something else you wanted to ask me?" I asked. She nodded again.

"Are you going to leave with them?" She said in rush. "When Edward and that woman leave to go back to America, are you going with them?" I blinked once, twice.

"Where's that coming from?" I asked, leaning back a bit.

"Nothing. No reason." She said, still not looking up. "It's just…you've been here for as long as I can remember. You looked after Alec and I when we first arrived, before you got like this."

"Like what?" I snapped. She shrank away and wrapped her arms around her. I swallowed back the anger. "Like what?"

"You never come out anymore. You haven't for decades. You used to come and play with us and teach us how to fight, tell us stories and make fun of the elders behind their backs, but now…" she looked up at my eyes. "Now you only sit and stare at the ceiling. Do you even notice when I come and visit you? You've retreated so far into yourself and…I miss you." She looked down again, rocking back and forth on her heels. "So does Alec. You were the closest thing that we ever had to a real friend around here."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek.

"You wouldn't miss me, Jane. No one would. I'm not worth missing." I said softly. If I had been worth anything, why hadn't I been able to save her? A very small hand slapped me across the face.

"Don't say that! You're the only person worth a damn in this place." She seethed.

"You hit me." I said lamely. It had hurt too, my cheek was stinging. Jane sighed.

"You're talking nonsense, of course I hit you." She said.

"She's right, you know." Alec said, walking around the corner. "We were going to run away our first few years. But we had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and we knew that you would never find the heart to leave this place." He sighed and wrapped an arm around his sister.

"How long have you guys been thinking this?" I asked, beyond confused.

"You don't get it, do you?" Alec asked. "We don't want you to leave because you're just so…kind. Everyone thinks so. Gianna, Aro, Demetri, even Felix. You're the only one Chelsea's talked to in years. Marcus speaks more than two words to you. Even Caius warms up a bit when you're around." Jane nodded along.

"_But why? _I'm not special. Not like all of you." Alec rolled his eyes.

"You block our powers." Jane said. "It makes everyone feel a little more normal. Things like that do wonders for a person's peace of mind. Like me, I don't have to be afraid of hurting you." I raised one eyebrow. I had to have had some kind of effect; Jane was never sentimental with anyone except her brother, and only then, it was behind closed doors.

I looked down at my shoes. I knew I would never be able to promise the two children in front of me what they wanted. I could not promise that I would never leave. Alec caught on first.

"It's killing you, isn't it?" He said, his voice faint. "Staying here, wallowing in your own misery. It's killing you. Eating you from the inside out." How could one little boy know so much? Jane gasped at him, betrayed. "Just because you fancy him, it doesn't mean you get to keep him here against his will." He snapped. A chocking laugh sounded for half a second and Jane glared at the door, as if willing Edward into existence so she could kill him. She glared at Alec, huffed, and stomped away. She almost never acted her age and it almost made you forget how young she really was.

Alec shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"You should leave, if only for a little while. You seem more like yourself around that man, and it would do you good to have a proper family again." He bit his lip and looked down again.

"But you don't want me to leave anymore than your sister." I said.

"It doesn't matter what we think. Though, I must say, I fear for the female population of Forks if you leave. If you can charm your way into Jane's heart, who knows what kind of havoc you can wreck." He laughed. Sometimes, it was almost too easy to like Alec. He was the kinder of the twins.

He didn't enjoy pain as much as his sister did. Perhaps that was why he had the power he did. If he took away the pain of those he killed, he wouldn't have to think about how much he was really hurting them. Poor kid, he really didn't belong in a place like this.

It was a very odd moment. Alec and I, standing there, talking about my future. For the longest time I hadn't thought I had had any future. But now…what was so different about now? What ha – Edward. One man reflecting my own pathetic life right back at me. It's astounding the things one thinks of when you're talking to children.

"Thanks, Alec." I said, opening the door back up again.

"For what?" He asked, eyebrows knitting together.

"Exactly, my dear boy. Exactly." I laughed and slipped back in the room, leaving the boy standing out front, still stunned.

"What was all that about?" Edward asked. He hadn't moved since I had left. I said nothing for a moment, leaning back against the wall.

"What would she have done? Charlotte, if she had known about all this, what I had tried to do, what would she have done?" I asked. Edward chuckled and shook his head.

"She would have punched you in the face, slapped you, and God knows what else to get her point across." He laughed.

"I know! I've been thinking, really, properly, thinking. Now that I've made myself remember what life was like outside these walls, I've finally realized how much I've missed it. Mind you, this is probably an urge that will all go away in a day or so." I sighed. "Besides, we've got to get you home. People have been asking about you at reception. Alice must be worrying her little head off about you."

"Alice is here?" He asked. "How would you know that?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Jane told me. Sorry, mate, our Lords and Masters aren't quite ready to let you go yet." I said. Lying didn't hurt when he wasn't going to find out the truth. Edward growled and clenched his fists. "Come on, it isn't that bad. It could be worse: you could be like me." I laughed. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to stick around for the rest of the story. Let's fast-forward a few months, yes?" I asked, jumping down in a chair again.

"I've got just the place: April 24, 1918." He said. I sat back in the chair, waiting to hear his tale.

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**Alright, let's have some more interesting tidbits about Andy dearest:**

**1. He has a power, not just the ability to block. He never talks about it, almost never uses it, because he thinks it wrong. He can reach out, touch you with his mind, and understand everything about you. Aro can store information, but Andrew can understand it. Feel what you feel, think what you think, love what you love. He can completely turn into that person if he wishes to, but it isn't a requirement. It used to be before he got the hang of it, but not anymore.**

**2. He loves cooking. Always has. He belives nothing is better than good fish 'n' chips, tea, and pea mash. **

**3. He loves books and longs to write one, but doesn't think he could think up anything original. **

**4. He learned a few tricks from the true witches of the world. Everyone had to band together during the Spanish Inquisition. Because of such time, he has little faith in organized religion, but does think that everyone has to believe in something. Spirituality is not religion. Religion divides people. Going to a building does not make you a Christian, he says.**

**Alright, that's about it. I'll be writing the next bit a posting it in a few weeks, I hope.**

**Until we meet again, **

**the3rdbronte**


	37. Found Out

**Alright. It's 12:10 at night. I'm listening to Russell Brand. And I'm drinking highly carbonated diet soda. I wrote the first bit of this with Edward way back in May of 2008. I just wrote the bit with Andrew. I don't really have anything else to say, so read on.**

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_-The Duke: "You expect me to believe that scantly clad, in the arms of another man, in the middle of the night, _****inside an elephant**, you were rehearsing?"

_-"Moulin Rouge"_

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_EPOV_

**April 24, 1918; Chicago, Illinois; Mason Manor**

I stormed into the parlor and sat down at my piano, desperate for a release from the anger that was bubbling inside of me, threatening to make me explode. My fingers moved of their own free will, the angry notes that seemed to pour out of my soul filled the room with their venom. My fingers began to ache but I took no notice. The anger still throbbed in my body.

My mind raced with thoughts of pain, betrayal and fury. _How could she do this to me?_ I thought to myself. I had known that Charlotte didn't love me as her husband, but I had thought that she would have cared deep enough for me to know that she would never…I couldn't even think about it anymore. Oh, god, if word got our about this, I didn't even want to know what mother would do to me, much less her. _Well good, _that little voice in the back o my mind whispered, _she deserves it! _I felt hot tears roll down my face. _No she doesn't. _

As if she had been summoned, Charlotte appeared in the doorway to the parlor, wrapped in her white lace robe. My heart melted at the sight of her face. The skin around her eyes was red and rubbed raw. She had been crying. Her ocean blue eyes were filled with some emotion that I did not recognize. They fell to the ground as he gaze met mine. Most of my anger may have evaporated, but my mind was holding on fast and tight to the last remnants. I clenched my jaw and my fingers went back to the pounding the keys of the piano, angry notes once again filling the air.

"Go away." I said, not looking up. "Even your very presence irritates me!" I put all the venom I could into the glare I shot at her. Charlotte looked taken aback at my words. She opened her mouth several times, but never said anything. At last, she shuffled over to the piano, her eyes on the floor. She sank down onto the opposite side of the bench, her hands gripping it on either side of her body. I ignored her.

"You're really mad at me, aren't you?" she whispered weakly. _OF COURSE I AM!_ I wanted to scream at her, and I was mad at her. She had betrayed me, her husband, the only man she was supposed to share herself with. She deserved my anger. But that was only the practical part of my brain talking. The other side, the side that thought of Charlotte not as my wife, but as my friend, was not angry with her at all.

"Well?" Charlotte was still waiting for her answer, but I did not know which one to give. I knew that I was in love with Charlotte. I knew that she was in love with me, but did love me. She was my best friend and she had said, several times, that I was hers. There was no need for her to bind herself to me with love that did not exist. I realized that I had stopped playing, my hands still poised above the keys. I removed them and put then on my lap.

"Oh, please, Edward, say something!" Charlotte pleaded. I still could not bring myself to look at her, knowing that the second her eyes found mine I would crack. "This is so much worse than you yelling at me! I would rather die a thousand times over than sit here with you ignoring me like this!" Her voice broke twice; I could feel my hand twitch, dying to wipe the tears away from her eyes. She took a few shaky deep breaths. "Not that I deserve any better. I don't even deserve your forgiveness Edward, so I won't even ask for it." I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye and nearly gasped at the sight.

Her face was splotchy and red, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. Her lips were trembling, obviously trying to hold back the cries that were threatening to escape. Her knuckles were white from her death grip on the piano bench. I had never seen Char so broken. I couldn't stand to keep her in that state so I did the only thing I could: I caved.

"Stop it! Don't you dare say that again. I should be the one asking for forgiveness." My arms flung themselves around her, pulling her into my chest. I could feel her tears as they dropped onto my shirt, an action I had been through far too many times. I couldn't stand to see Charlotte in such pain. She was so bright and beautiful; she deserved only happiness. My heart broke at the sound of her sobs. Her whole frame shook under my arms, cries escaping from her lips and filling the room.

"Shh, calm down Char, it's alright." I whispered in her ear, desperate for her to stop. "I'm not angry with you."

"Really?" Her voice was colored with disbelief.

"No, I'm not." I lifted her chin to look at her face. It was even redder and covered with tears and blotches. My hands moved absent-mindedly to wipe them away. I looked into her eyes to show her that I was serious. "Charlotte, you've done nothing wrong except fall in love with someone and exercise your rights therein. You just happen to be married to someone that you're not in love with, but the stupid bureaucrats that run this heinousness called society call that adultery. I, on the other hand, being the amazing husband that I am, see no crime that you have committed at all." My mouth spread into a smile and her lips soon mimicked mine. "There now, isn't that better isn't it?" A soft giggle escaped her lips. "Yes, there you are Char!" I laughed the sound echoing strangely across the room. My hands left her face and returned to the piano.

"I had been hoping to save this for your birthday party next week." I admitted to her as I brushed my hands along the keys until they were in their proper places.

"What party?" _Oh. Right, she wasn't supposed to know about that._

"You did not hear that from me, and if anybody asks, this conversation never happened." I replied with mock seriousness. Charlotte giggled again, the light slowly starting to come back to her eyes.

"Play." She ordered, anxious for me to begin. I obediently turned to face the piano.

Then my fingers were flying.

The tone of Charlotte's song was light and brisk, like the sound of her laughter. There were parts that were slow and dark but they were few and far between and were always followed by fast and joyous chords. I had tried to capture the sound of Charlotte's voice, which was, essentially, the essence of what she was, in the notes that danced in the air. The way that she could switch characters on a whim, create excitement or sadness with a single word, and dredge up emotions that you forgot you had. Charlotte's voice was my favorite thing about her and the stories she told made it shine. She had a way about her that could make you believe all the impossible things that came out of her mouth and imagination. I had worked on this song for months and I still could not hope to capture such a wonderful sound.

I moved into my mother's favorite lullaby so I could talk to Charlotte; I could have played that song in my sleep and quite possibly if I was dead. I cast a look at her face and was surprised to find fresh tears falling from her eyes.

"Come now Char, what's wrong now? Was it really that bad?" Behind my sarcasm, I was burning with curiosity.

"No Edward. I think that it's the most beautiful thing you've written." Her fingers hastily wiped away at the traitor tears. 'I don't deserve you Edward." She whispered. "I treat like you're the worst person in the world and you just get kinder and kinder." She was on the verge of hysterics but I did not take her in my arms again; I suspect that that would just have made her feel worse. There was one question I had to ask first as well.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked meekly, hoping to God that she did not need to explain. Her eyes were full of confusion at my question and I unwillingly discerned that I had to. "What I mean is, is there any particular reason that you don't love me the way you love him?" my voice had all but disintegrated at the end of my confession. Terror ran through my veins as silence was all that greeted my request. Since I was expecting nothing but a list of my inadequacies, I was severely shaken by a pair of arms latching themselves around my shoulders and a face digging into my neck.

"Don't you dare say that ever again. What in the world could ever make you think such a horrid thing? You're wonderful and anyone would be lucky to have you love them." Charlotte pulled back looking at my face. Her hand lifted to caress my cheek. "Do you really think that?" she whispered in disbelief. "That you are in any way inferior to him?" Her eyes contained endless sorrow for reasons that I could not place, but whatever they were made me wish that I had not said anything. I merely hung my head in response to her question.

"I'm sorry." She said, leaning her head against my shoulder. "God, I'm so sorry, Edward."

I resisted the urge to scoff. She hadn't been sorry in December when she had just cut herself off. She hadn't been sorry on all those cold nights that I had to spend the time alone in our bed, wishing she was next to me again. She hadn't been sorry for all the missed kisses and empty embraces I had to dream about each night. And she certainly hadn't been sorry when she had kissed that man upstairs.

My fists clenched at the thought. I had seen the adoration in both their eyes, the passion in each touch. I knew how happy she had to be in his arms, but _still._ I was only a man. I couldn't help but be jealous. I had taken care of her all that time and she ran back to his arms again without a second thought. It was enough to drive a man mad.

And he wasn't supposed to there. The panic in his eyes once he had caught sight of me was enough to tell me that. She didn't want me to know about it. At least she had enough decency for that.

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"Go on, go back upstairs. Don't worry about me." I said.

"No, he'll be gone by now, I'll stay with you." She said, clutching my arm. "The world would be a very sad place without you, Edward." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

"But you would be able to live on?" I asked. She waited a moment before answering.

"Yes. It wouldn't be easy, but yes. And so would you, without me. Don't you shake your head" She growled. I looked down at my feet and shook my head again

"It's just-"

"What?"

"I'm just worried that I'll never get that." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"Get what?" She asked, concerned. My mind flashed back to what I had seen earlier. Charlotte in the arms of the man she loved, a look of perfect bliss on her face. _That._

"A happy ending."

_APOV_

**April 24, 1918; Charlotte's bedroom**

I had been pacing for the last ten minutes. This was wrong. I shouldn't have stayed so late.

He had seen me.

The one thing that Charlotte had made me promise not to happen had. He knew and that terrified her much more than I would have thought. I sighed and sank into the bed.

It wasn't as if we had been doing anything. He hadn't walked in on us, per se, but perhaps that was all the worse. If his wife just wanted sex, that was only a matter of pride. That could be remedied easily enough. But to find your own wife in bed with another man because she desired his company over yours was even worse. Crueler was the best word. It meant that she preferred him over you in _every_ way, not just physically.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I wanted to know what they boy was thinking. Perhaps just a little peek into his mind would be enough. Not enough to be invasive, just a little touch. He wouldn't even know.

I sat up on the bed and closed my eyes. It had been awhile since I had used my power. I had never liked it, seeing into others minds without their knowledge. I was always worried that I would find something I didn't want to see.

I sighed and sent my mind out. I didn't know how else to describe it . It was as if my mind grew its own body and walked around before choosing a person to look through.

Out the door and down the stairs, through the halls and into the parlor. I could see everything as if I was really there. I weaved around Charlotte to rest beside the boy. I bit my tongue and touched his mind.

At first, there was nothing. Indifference everywhere, a thick wall of it all around his mind. I pressed harder, poking at all the sides for a weak spot. It broke and the flood of emotion hit me like a wrecking ball.

Pain. Blinding, searing pain. I couldn't think properly, couldn't breath, couldn't feel anything but the hurt. How could one person keep all of this inside all at once? I forced myself to push past the pain, searching for any kind of plan. I was terrified that he would push Charlotte away, turn her away forever. That would break her. I couldn't allow it.

I let out a sigh. No, he wasn't going to let her go. Despite all of this, he still loved her far too much for that. He would stay, even if it met that he had to live with all of this for all time. He wasn't going to be like me.

I flinched at the stray thought.

He was a better man than I was, then.

I wandered around in his mind for a little bit more marveling at all the twists and turns. It was far more complex than I had thought. I saw the pain, the pride, the joy, the love, and all of it made my heart want to break. He was…nice.

I sighed. This would all have been easier of he had been cruel and evil. It would have been easier to defy him and spirit Charlotte away one day. But right then, picking through his mind, I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. I saw everything through his eyes and for once thought that maybe all of this wasn't about just me.

Charlotte saw it too, how badly he loved her. She had some feelings for him, I knew that. Enough where she wouldn't be able to leave him willingly. I felt a pang in my heart, a cold stab of jealously; I hated the fact that she could love another man, in any way. Of course, it could always have been worse. Edward was kind, loving, and gentle, not like the others men that had asked her to marry them. He hadn't wanted it for her or him. It was for that simple reason that I trusted him with her.

I sighed again and withdrew from his mind. I had no place in this perfect world he wished for, and yet I always insisted on ruining it.

I heard Charlotte come back up the stairs, dragging her feet. She sank onto the bed and leaned against the wall, silent tears flowing down her cheeks.

"He doesn't deserve this." She said, wiping at one of the drops of water on her cheek.

"No." I agree, stoking back her hair. "No, he doesn't." She laughed softly, her voice muffled by tears.

"It's funny that you say that." She said.

"Why?" I asked. She was silent for a moment.

"It's just…when you were gone I used to have these dreams. Horrible nightmares. It would just be me and Edward for awhile, and then, when he would go to kiss me, you would be there. Mad, raving with jealousy." A shiver ran down her spine. She didn't say anything more. She knew that she didn't need to.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked softly, looking down at the sheets. She sighed and twisted her fingers around mine.

"No more talk of leaving. Ever." She whispered. She brought my fingers to the warmth of her mouth.

"Things are just going to get harder now, aren't they?" I said.

"You have no idea." Charlotte sighed.

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**I apologize for being too tired to really write anything. Please review.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	38. Boiling Over

**Alright, here it is. This chapter started out as a fluff chapter, but turned into angsty brilliance. It was sort of based on this one review (whom I cannot recall the specific name of), but he said that it was astounding that Edward was taking all of this bombardment sitting down. The thought festered while I was writing the first bit in Edward's Point of View. It took hold of me and the result is what lies ahead of you. I apologize. This chapter by itself may have the merit to be rated M on account of the anger, violence and dirty words. If this offends you in anyway, please accept my humblest apologies. Read on.**

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**

_"Little boy  
__you made me feel guilt that day  
which never fully went away  
you told the world you hated me  
and that's when I began to see  
how much it must have hurt  
to have dressed up in your first clean shirt  
and hope like hell she'd understand  
the things you felt, and take your hand  
but damn you little boy I never had a chance  
you couldn't see I wasn't ready  
for what you monsters call romance  
Little boy  
you never looked at me the same  
as though you didn't know my name  
and in the end you made me hate myself for hurting you  
but no one ever stopped to tell me what I ought to do"_

_-"Little Boy" by Emilie Autumn_

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_

**CPOV**

**June 19, 1918; Bedroom; 11:50 p.m.**

"It's just for the day, Andrew, I swear." I insisted, taking both of his hands in mine. "It's his birthday, and he's still my best friend. I owe him one day." Andrew said nothing.

After Edward had found out about us, he had been coming over more often, staying later. There wasn't any more reason to hide, so why should we?

"Are you sure about this?" He asked at last. "Are you sure he'll give you back, I mean?" A subconscious twinge of fear, I wasn't sure he was even aware of it, crept into his voice. It was always there when he talked of Edward. Perhaps I should have been flattered by all the attention given to me by the both of them, but it only served to make me sick.

Oh, how I wished I wasn't afraid; that I would not cringe whenever Andrew said Edward's name. But there it was, and it could not be helped now. I knew Andrew would never harm Edward. I had forbidden it. He would never do anything if it would make me unhappy and he knew how badly I would be hurt if he killed Edward.

"He hadn't taken me hostage yet, Andrew." I reminded him. "I doubt he'll start now." I laughed to myself, but Andrew didn't seem to see the humor. I sighed and brushed back a lock of his hair. "You haven't fed enough, I can tell by your color. Go hunting for the day, you need it. And at midnight tomorrow, I'll be right here, waiting for you." I promised. He nodded and bent his head to kiss him. His hands held my neck and waist.

He knew how badly I craved his touch, and he had taken to exploiting my desires. I pulled back before things could get too heated. My mind was already dancing on the edge on giving in to him.

"Will you ever learn to play fair?" I asked, breathless.

"You never do, so why should I?" He laughed.

"Fair point." I laughed. I sighed and pulled back, fully separating our bodies. His hands reached out to catch my shoulders. A reflex after all our time together. I smiled ruefully and pushed him away. "Midnight. I promise." I whispered in his ear before sweeping out the door.

**June 20, 1918; 12:00 a.m.**

The house was silent save for the patter of my feet on the wood floors. Was it wrong that Edward's room was only a hallway down from mine? I briefly wondered whether he could here us at night, whispering and laughing.

I shook my head and pushed the thought from my mind. I would not think of such things now.

I stopped at the end of the hallway, hand poised to knock on Edward's door. Should I knock? Should I _have_ to knock? As distant as I was, all for his own sake, he was still my husband.

I shook my head again and pushed the door open.

Everything was as if I had never left it. All of the furniture was in the same place, down to my vanity in the left corner by the window. The same off white curtains on the window to the balcony. The same red quilt on the bed. It even had the same smell: the woods in the springtime mixed with the cherry blossoms in my perfume.

Edward looked the same, just as if it was still Christmas and none of the last six months had happened. I sighed and crossed the room to my side of the bed. He didn't stir when I slipped under the covers, he must have been sleeping too deeply.

I sighed and sank into the familiar cushions, just the same as ever. I heard the snap of a twig outside the window but I ignored it. I loved Andrew with all my heart, but I needed a little time alone. I saw him every other day; I could spare Edward this one.

I closed my eyes and laid my head on Edward's shoulder. He seemed to lean in closer to me; a subconscious reaction. I laughed under my breath and ran a finger through his hair. I weaved my fingers around his and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**EPOV**

**June 20, 1918; 7:15 a.m.**

Something was off this morning.

My body felt almost…warm. If I hadn't been so used to the cold, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

The summer sun was streaming through the windows, blinding me for a moment. I tried to move my arm and found resistance to the movement. I looked down and blinked twice, certain I was still dreaming.

It had been quite like what I saw now: Charlotte, living with me in situations that I wasn't always willing to reveal to anyone else.

She was still asleep. Her eyes were closed and her eyelashes rested on her full cheeks. I smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead.

I briefly wondered what could have caused this. She hadn't been so close to me for near on six months. Had that monster left her again? I ground my teeth together, but did not wake her. I doubted that she would be so calm if that were the case. Her eyes were moving behind her eyelids, seeing things that I could only dream she would tell me about.

I sighed and laid back down, discovering the hand wrapped around my own. I rubbed circles into her palm with my thumb. Despite the happiness I always felt in her presence, a twinge of despair was in the back of my mind.

How long would this last? How long would I be allowed in her favor before she cast me aside again? I doubted she knew how she affected me; if she did, as I hoped she one day would, perhaps she would think twice about leaving me.

I flinched at the stray thought.

She would leave me one day, _that_ I knew without a doubt. It never got easier to think, though I thought it often. I had often meant to ask her about it, but I never had the courage. And I knew that she would never tell me. At least she wasn't indifferent to me.

I sighed and closed my eyes again, trying to will the life I wished we had into existence. I failed.

I dosed in and out of sleep for almost an hour before she woke.

I felt her fingers twitch and her head moved, nuzzling into my shoulder. I smiled and brushed a lock of her hair away from her mouth. She gasped at my touch and her eyes fluttered open. A small smile graced her face.

"Happy Birthday, Edward." She said, leaning up to wrap her arms around my shoulders. My heart seemed to burst and break at the same time. Her touch managed to send my heart racing, but her words, the feeling that this time was the only time I would get for a very long while, made me want to cry.

She still smiled and kissed my cheek. My skin burned from the touch of her lips.

"I'm yours for the day." She proclaimed, taking one of hands in both of hers and hugging my arm. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What's the matter, Edward? Have I done something wrong?" She asked, a tinge of panic in her voice. I shook my head.

"No, love." I said. I tried to smile but it didn't reach my eyes.

"Yes, I have. Tell me." She begged. I shook my head again and looked down at my hands. She withdrew and curled up. I heard a soft sob. "I can't do anything right by you, can I?" She muttered, her voice thick with tears.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. I didn't answer her question, for I did not know the answer.

"Charlotte, what are you doing here?" I asked her after a few moments. I fought to keep my voice even; she was fragile enough as it was, without my help.

"I missed you." She said. Her voice was muffled against my chest. "And it's your birthday. I wanted to give you something and I didn't know what, so I gave you me." I felt a small smile creep up her lips. For one brief moment, I resisted the urge to push her away. I couldn't stop the snort I let loose, though.

"That's not what I want, Charlotte, and you know it." I hissed. I grabbed her arms and pushed her back as gently as I could. I felt her body freeze under my touch and harsh words.

"What do you want me to do, Edward? I love him, and you know I care for you." She whispered, gathering herself in a ball again. I flinched. I did know that she wasn't indifferent to me, but I also knew that she wasn't in love with me the way I was with her.

"I know." I muttered under my breath. "But you can't have this both ways, Charlotte." I turned back to her and took her face in my hands. "You can't have both of us like this. _You have to choose a side._" Her eyes were still swimming with tears and it almost broke my heart to speak to her so. But I knew that I had to. I had let this go on for far too long.

I was so sick of getting my heart broken every time she came back to me, smiling and laughing, only to leave me again. I loved her with everything I had, but I had to draw a line in the sand.

"I can only take so much of this, love." I whispered, feeling a lump well up in my throat. "I love you. I want you. But if you don't love me the same way, then you shouldn't be here." She flinched away from me and untangled herself from my arms. I heard her start to shuffle towards the door.

I can't describe what happened next. One moment I was perfectly calm, the next I saw red. I slammed the door shut in front of her and gripped into the tops of her arms.

"It's always going to be him, isn't it!" I yelled at her. I didn't know what came over me, but I wasn't about to fight it. "It's never going to be me you choose! I fucking love you and you never notice! I cared for you when he wouldn't even LOOK at you!" I forced her to the ground when my legs gave out. We were so close that I was almost nose to nose with her. My voice was not my own. I did not recognize the rough, harsh sound.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. I felt her trembling in my arms.

"If you knew him you would not judge him so harshly." She muttered through her tears.

"Like hell." I growled. "Why? Why do you still love him and not me? WHY!" I all but screamed at her. She shook and tried to push back on my chest. I never budged. Something in the back of my head told me that this was wrong. That I had no right to treat her with such violence. But I was so angry…I wasn't myself anymore.

"Edward! Please, you're hurting me!" She cried.

"So what? Every time I see you, it's like I'm burning in hell." My chest was heaving with all the heavy breaths I was taking in. "You…you made me believe that you loved me. Was it all just a lie? Every kiss, touch, word?" She shook her head, but I just laughed at her.

"You never loved me. I was just someone to keep fucking around with." I spat. "He doesn't deserve you, Charlotte. He's a monster for leaving you, and yet you welcome him back with open arms! He broke you and _I_ was the one to put you back together again! Does that not earn me a little compassion and love? Am I not allowed to have you love me back? I love you so much, you have no idea."

"If this is how you treat the woman you love, what makes you any better than him! He would never dream of hurting me over you, and you do so with joy! Who's the monster now, Edward?" She cried, staring me right in the eye. In my shock, she found a way to wrench herself out of my arms. I heard the door open and shut in quick succession. Another door opened down the hall. My hands were still curved, molded to her shape.

It took my mind more than one full minute to come back to me.

At first I didn't think anything. It was just a blank slate. My mind still justified my actions, saying that it was only fair after all the pain that I had been made to endure. But Charlotte's face, horrified and tear streaked would always crop up.

I had broken her, snapped the last remaining threads of whatever love she had had for me. I knew this and yet I felt nothing. My mind refused to feel, to let me be horrified and drag myself back to her. I felt unnatural, like a ghost. I welcomed the oblivion.

I sighed and walked around my room, looking for clothes. It couldn't be more than ten in the morning, and yet I wanted nothing more than to sink back into bed.

I pulled on my clothes with little care. Just black pants and a white shirt. I had to talk to her, even if it was just through her door.

My feet made no sound on the wood floors of the hall. I padded down the hallway to Charlotte's room. I tried the knob. It was locked. I sighed and leaned back against the wall.

She was crying. I could hear her though the door. I don't know how long I sat there, listening to her sob. I must have nodded off to sleep because when I opened my eyes again, it was dark. I had slept through the whole day. The soft light lamps lit up the crack under Charlotte's door.

I sighed and sat back up again. My back was cramped from being in one position for so long. I groaned and heard a soft gasp and whimper from the opposite side of the door. They sliced through me like knives.

She was afraid of me. I felt the beginning of tears behind my eyes.

"Don't say a word, love." I heard a man whisper. "I won't let him hurt you again." _Again?_ I wondered. I had never-oh. I been out of my mind and must have gripped her arms too hard. She would have had the beginnings of bruises by now. I looked down at my hands and felt as if they were covered with a river of blood.

The sweet oblivion of this morning was gone, and a world of horror came on its heels. I sank back down onto my knees, unable to hold myself up.

"Charlotte." I managed to choke out. "Charlotte, please, I'm sorry." _Not that it's any excuse._ The voice in my head seethed. She whimpered again and the man shushed her, whispering things I didn't understand.

"_Go away."_ He growled. I flinched back from the door but did not rise.

"Please, let me see her." I begged him.

"You've surrendered any right to her, _boy._" He spat.

"And what gives you the right to touch her? I'm not the one that left her to succumb to grief." I lashed out. I didn't think about what I was saying, or who I was saying it to. If I had, perhaps I wouldn't have said it. The bed creaked, as if being relieved of weight.

"Andrew, _no."_ Charlotte whispered.

The sound of footsteps, and then the snap of a broken lock. A figure stood, tall and dark, cast into shadow by the light. He reached down and wrapped a hand around my throat. The room spun and I found myself shoved against the wall, the man holding me as if I was light as a rag doll by just that one hand.

"I've never laid a hand on her. I've never screamed at her. It doesn't repent for my other wrongs, but it's something." His voice was dark, lethal, and filled me with fear. My throat seized up. I couldn't breath. I couldn't think. I couldn't even see properly. I cast my eyes over the man's shoulder at Charlotte. She gasped and tried to cover the masses of bruises on her arms. I let out the smallest of sobs and felt my world darken around the corners. I still couldn't breathe. The fear was draining me.

"Make no mistake boy, if you put one more mark on her, you and I are at war." He hissed before finally releasing me. The fear consumed me and my world became as night.

_**APOV**_

**June 20. 1918; 10:30 p.m.**

Thank God I had come back early. I had been too worried about her, too scared of what would happen to her in my absence.

I sighed and let the boy drop to the ground. Animalistic fury pulsed through my body at the sight of his face.

_How __**dare**__ he harm her. How dare he think that he had any right to her after the fact._

I seethed and kicked him back down the hallway. Charlotte gave a little cry of distress and I only just resisted throwing him down the stairs. I growled and stomped back into the room, slamming the door back into place. The room shook and Charlotte whimpered.

"You…You didn't have to do that." She muttered, gathering herself into a ball. She feared a rebuff from me? Did she think me as cruel as the boy that lay crumpled on the floor?

I said nothing. I didn't trust myself. My fists clenched and my teeth ground together. I tried to control the urge to rip the boy apart. To sink my teeth into him and revel in his blood. The monster in me rejoiced at the thought of a fresh kill, of the wonderful taste of human blood.

But I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it, for her sake.

My eyes opened slowly and fell upon her. Charlotte was still shaking, her arms wrapped around her frame. My anger ebbed away , the need to care for her and comfort her overpowering it. I felt my eyes soften. I walked towards her slowly, deliberately. She did not move away. I sat at the end of her bed, just looking at her before extending a hand. Still she did not move. I cupped her cheek with a palm and breathed a sigh of relief when she leaned into my touch.

"I'm sorry. I scared you, my love." I whispered, caressing her skin with my thumb.

"Me?" She said, a shadow of her old laugh creeping into her voice. "What about…" She trailed off, unable to speak his name. Her fingers brushed the handprint bruises on her left arm. "I had never seen him so angry in my life." She whispered. "I never knew he felt such things." She lamented, a soft sob rising up out of her throat. My heart broke at the sound and I drew her into my arms.

"You don't have to fear him anymore, my love. I shall have to take you away with me soon." I whispered, kissing her shoulder. To my surprise, she nodded.

"Yes. Yes we must be gone away soon. I cannot stay here and torture him this way." She sobbed, latching her fingers into my shirt. "I have made him suffer too much for too long. It was my fault for today. If I had just told him the truth he would not have had to bottle up his anger and hurt in such a way."

"That's no excuse." I snapped. I felt her flinch.

"Perhaps not to you, my love." She sighed. "But you don't know Edward the way I do. He's never like this. Not without reason." She loosened her hold on me and looked up at my eyes. "You didn't see his eyes when he saw my bruises." She said. Her mouth contorted into a yawn and her eyes fluttered closed.

"You should sleep." I said.

"Did you hunt?" She countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I was until I came back." It was only a white lie. I had watched her sleep for a little while before I had left, but that was only about five hours. The rest of the time I had been deep in the woods, trying not to worry about her. My answer seemed to satisfy her, as did the color of my eyes.

"Fine. If you wish me to sleep, then I guess I have to give in." She sighed, lying back against her pillows. "You'll just drug me with kisses if I don't." She laughed. I tried to smile and brushed her hair back from her face. When I pulled back, she made a little mewling sound and held her arms out to me, her eyes half lidded.

I bit my tongue.

_Minx._

I sunk into the warmth of her arms, placing a line of kisses up her neck to her jaw.

"Are you ever just going to give in to me?" She purred, weaving her fingers into my hair.

"One night, yes. But not tonight, love." I laughed in her ear. I pulled her face to mine to give her a lingering kiss. My promise spurred her on and I felt her tongue across my bottom lip. I growled and pushed her away. I caught the flash of rejection in her eyes. I sighed and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I only do it _for_ you, Charlotte." I whispered. "You don't want to know what would happen if my teeth got anywhere near your skin." I muttered. She sighed, too tired to fight.

"As you wish." She muttered. Her eyes drifted closed and she fell asleep in my arms, safe and warm again.

**How I managed to sneak in some romance at the end, I'll never know. I can sympathize with Edward in a way. He poured his soul out to Charlotte and she never reciprocated those feelings. It's enough to make anyone mad. Not unlike a certain Dog I could mention. . . I don't know why people hate Jacob. He's a pretty nice guy. And he cracks blond jokes at Rosalie. How awesome is that!**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte**


	39. Whatever We Are

**I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry about not posting anything. My muse left for an extended vaction and I had so much else going on that I hadn't even looked at my stories for three months. But summer is here, and I swear I shall be posting much more quickly. This story is almost at it's end my friends. There are perhaps five more chapters left and then the end. But, my other Twilight Fic will go online very soon after that. I have to keep myself busy, you know. Thank you to anyone who reviews.**

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**_"In life, as in art, some endings are bittersweet. Especially when it comes to love. Sometimes fate throws two lovers together only to rip them apart. Sometimes the hero finally makes the right choice but the timing is all wrong. And, as they say, timing is everything. Looks like this story might just have a second act. Let's hope it's not a tragedy. XOXO. Gossip Girl."_

_-"Gossip Girl" on The CW  
_

**Chicago; Mason Manor; August, 1918**

**CPOV**

The fights were starting to get worse between Edward and me. His anger had simmered down from yelling and screaming to a quiet resentment. This was, against my previous assumptions, far worse than anything else he had thrown at me. He had only to glare at me and I would feel as if he was shoving a knife into my heart. Whether this was deliberate or not was a mystery to me.

Andrew did his best to comfort me, but soon even his ministrations were not enough.

Months had passed since Edward had lost control and yet the wounds, both physical and emotional, still stung every time I thought about it. I could still hear his screams in my ears; feel his hands on my skin; see the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. How I missed the soft, kind husband I had been allowed to have for a few short months.

And how I wished I could have him back. Even if he wasn't my husband, he was still a great friend to me and it would still hurt to loose him.

A nightly routine developed between Andrew and me. I would always ask: "How soon?" and he would always reply: "As soon as you're ready."

I wanted him to set a date for me so I could say my goodbyes with confidence. A cover story would have to be made. Perhaps I had just gotten far too stressed out by married life and had fled for a simple life in the country. Most of it was true.

Edward would be glad to have me gone, of that I was sure.

He hated me.

I was sure of it.

And why shouldn't he, after all that I had done to him?

It was the little look out of the corner of his eye, the slightest sneer of his lips that hurt the worst of all. I wasn't worth the trouble of showing or telling me that he was angry.

June and July had come and gone, and still no kind word from Edward. I wondered if he ever intended to speak to me ever again. Dinner was the only time we saw each other during the day, and even then, it was tense. Edward's father was the only one in the family that chose to see how Edward ignored me; Elizabeth did was she did best and convinced herself that nothing was going on.

August came at last and with it brought a new flurry of anger.

Elizabeth came in the house one afternoon, clutching a copy of that day's newspaper against her chest.

"Is something the matter, darling?" Edward Sr. asked her. She said nothing and bustled over to him. Her hand extended to hand him the front page. His eyes skimmed the words, getting wider with every few sentences.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tired of being left out of the action. Edward Sr. said nothing, looking up at his wife. Sacrificing good form, I snatched the paper out of his lap. The headline read:

**Draft Age Finally Lowered to 18!**

My heart dropped into my stomach and I too fell silent. We all knew how Edward longed to be a soldier and fight in the Great War. He would see the other men going off to war when we were still on good terms and he would lament to me that he would have to wait so long to join them. I had laughed with him at the time, thinking that he would never be taken from me like that. But now…

"We can't show this to him." I said in a rush, crumpling up the newspaper.

"Can't show what to whom?" A drawling voice asked behind me. I froze, hand in mid rip through the paper.

"Nothing. No one." I said hurriedly, trying to hide the paper behind me back. I was too slow, and Edward snatched it out of my hands. His eyes skimmed over the lines and a sort of light came into them. He laughed under his breath and tucked the paper away in his pocket.

"You know it's funny, Charlotte. I would have thought you would have been pleased. In ten short months you'll finally be rid of me." He said, his voice cold, cutting. I felt hot tears brim over my eyes.

"How _dare_ you." I hissed. My fist flew of its own accord, contacting with his jaw. The bookcase behind him spilled its load at the impact of his body. Edward lay sprawled out on the floor, a trail of blood snaking out of the corner of his mouth. I bent so that I could whisper in his ear, anger coursing through my body. "You think I enjoy this? Tormenting you?" I barked a laugh. "You know, Edward, there was a time when I thought I was in love with the man you were. He died such a long time ago. And now all you are is a cheap imitation of a loving boy who cared everything for others and nothing for himself." I cast a glance at his parents. They had retreated into the corner of the room, whispering to each other.

"Does it really surprise you that I chose _him_ over that?" I muttered. Summoning as much indignation as I contained, I strode out of the room and up the stairs to my room. Andrew had left on an extended hunting trip and wouldn't be back until late tonight. I plopped down on my bed and listened for any sort of reaction from downstairs.

Elizabeth was fussing over him, asking him constantly if he was all right.

"I'm fine, mother." I heard him say. "I have to admit I deserved it." He sighed. "Please, leave me be. I want to talk to her, try to get something out of this." He pleaded. A pair of feet dragged themselves up the stairs and to the outside of my room. A set of knuckles rapped on the wood.

"Charlotte?" He asked. "Please let me in." Against my better judgment, my heart melted for him. He sounded so much like a little boy who had been beaten down. His pride had been shattered by my hand and now he wished to reconcile. Damn him. I crossed to my door and unlocked it slowly. I poked just my head out at first, in case he wanted to take a retaliating shot at me.

"Yes?" I asked, looking down at his shoes.

"Charlotte, please look at me." He begged, curling a finger under my chin. I gasped and lifted a finger to inspect the bruise that was already forming on his jaw line. Blood had pooled and was starting to dry in the corner of his mouth and a look I had never seen in his eyes before burned into me.

"Yes, please come in." I said, opening the door wide enough for him to pass me. He nodded and shimmied inside, closing the door behind him.

Neither of us spoke for several moments, staring at the ground instead of at each other. I saw his eyes wander about my room, eyeing the almost empty closets and half-filled suitcases.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, still not looking at me. "Anywhere but here, I imagine." He mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, will you just _shut up_." I growled, crossing my arms over my chest. "You know that none of that stupid bitterness helps."

"Does anything? Can anything?" Edward countered through his teeth. "I don't enjoy fighting with you, Charlotte, you know that."

"Do I?" I spat. "You seem to be pretty content with hating me, Edward. Not that I can blame you." I muttered the last bit, hoping that he couldn't hear.

"And you think saying things like that helps me?" He asked. I heard his feet move on the wood floors and saw them stop right in front of me. His hands reached out to my shoulders, their touch soft; not at all like I last remembered them. "I do not _hate_ you, Charlotte." He whispered. "Even though I long to with every fiber of my being at times, I could never hate you." He laughed softly and his hands dropped.

"I hate myself for thinking that I could have you love me." He said, walking towards the window. "I hate myself for being such a young fool and then blaming you for it. I intruded on your life and everything in it with no thought to how it may have made you feel and I'm sorry." My eyes lifted to see him staring at me.

"You needn't be, Edward. I was the one that led you on." I said, walking to meet him halfway. I didn't want to hear him say such things, dreadful things, about himself. None of them were true in my eyes. To me he was still the beautiful boy that had captured my heart for however brief a time.

"But I was the one that followed, love." He laughed out loud at his own joke. He smiled a little and his hands went to the top of my arms again. A small flash of memory caused me to want to cringe back, but I beat it back. I knew he wasn't going to harm me. I knew it. "I never told you how sorry I was, did I?" he mused. The bruises had long since healed, but it seemed to him that they were still there.

"It's fine. You overreacted, but it only happened once. I know you'll never do it again." I assured him, looking up at him. "And you did say that you were sorry. I wasn't exactly listening, but I heard it." I nodded, leaning into him. His arms snaked around my torso, just like always.

"You are far too kind to me, Charlotte." He whispered into my hair. "This would all be so much easier if I hated you, if I didn't care about you leaving me." I heard the slight hitch in his voice at the end and hugged him tighter. "Will you tell me before you leave? Please, for my sake?" He asked, pulling on my hair so that I had to look at him.

"Yes." I nodded. "Yes, of course." Something hot and wet ran down my cheek. He lifted a finger to brush off one glistening tear.

"You shall not miss me." He muttered.

"Of course I will." I said. "You are my dearest friend. I want you in my life more than almost anyone." He rolled his eyes.

"You mean I'm second to just him?" He laughed. "Well, I must say I'm flattered. I don't think my own mother cares about me that much." He teased, sticking his tongue out at me. I slapped his shoulder, hurting myself far more than I hurt him.

"You know what I mean." I snorted. "I think it all came down to who I could and could not live without." I mused, trying to explain to him as best I could. "If it had been you that had left me and he that had stayed, I think I would have survived, but you saw how I was when he was gone. Even with your love, I wasn't the same." He nodded.

"Yes, I understand. I wish I didn't, but there it is." He sighed. His eyes flashed to mine. "Will you allow your husband a last request?" He said playfully, taking both of my hands in his own.

"I'm not leaving right now, Edward." I laughed, raising an eyebrow. "But, yes, if you wish, one more thing."

"One last kiss." He said. "One more and I shall never ask you again." His voice was calm, but his eyes were begging me to say yes to him.

"I'm going to hold you to that." I said under my breath, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." He breathed, his hands placed firmly at my waist. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Then you can't yell at me." He laughed.

"Deal." I only managed to get out the 'D' sound before his lips were on mine. His hands pulled on the small of my back, bringing our bodies closer together. His lips were soft and passionate at the same time, wasting no time in easing me into the kiss. The amount of love he was pouring into me made me want to weep for him. I tightened my hold on his neck, praying that if I could give him just one happy memory, something to remember that didn't involve yelling and heartbreak, than by God, I was going to give it to him.

I felt him start to tremble against me and hot tears fell from his cheeks to mine. I pulled back far enough to breathe and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Please don't cry, Edward. I'm sorry." I must have done something, made him think something, to upset him, but he shook his head.

"No. No, I'm fine. Promise." He said, his voice shaking. "Thank you, love." He whispered into my ear.

"For what?" I asked, laying my head on his shoulder.

"For not hating me for all the pain I've caused you." He said. I laughed out loud at the silliness of such a thing.

"I can no more hate you than I can hate him, Edward." I promised, kissing his cheek. "I shall miss you terribly."

"As I shall miss you." He said. "So, where does this leave us? What are we?" He asked, looking down at me.

"We are…whatever we are. Friends and lovers and enemies all rolled into one." I sighed. "I think it best we don't question it." I leaned up to kiss his cheek. I looked out the window and frowned at the darkness.

"He'll be back soon?" He asked, letting go of my waist. "I won't keep you, then." He had reached the door and had begun to turn the handle before he coughed. I frowned.

"Are you alright?" I asked, walking to place a hand on his back. Several small coughs later, he was able to answer me.

"It's fine, Char. Just a cough. It'll be gone by morning, you'll see." He smiled and scooted out of the door.

"If you say so." I muttered to no one, flopping down on my bed. Andrew arrived not ten minutes later, smiling as he sank into my arms.

"Did you have a good day, my love?" He asked, kissing my neck.

_No. No, not at all._ I wanted to say, but no words would come out.

"Charlotte?" He prompted, pulling back to look at me. "What happened, love? Is it that boy again?" He hissed. I nodded and felt the tears start down my cheeks.

"How soon?" I asked, praying that he would finally give into my demands. Andrew said nothing for a moment, staring at me.

"A month. We'll leave in a month." He said at last, wrapping me in a fierce embrace. I wept into his shirt and prayed that the next thirty days would pass without major incident.

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**I'm going to hate the next chapter: Edward gets sick. Prepare for tears, my friend. **

**XOXO**

**the3rdbronte  
**


	40. Think of Me

**And now we reach the homestretch, the final three chapters. There is this one, the next one and then the end. I shall post an Epilogue after I'm done so that you can know what happens after. I may even write a sequel one day, but that is very far off. Enjoy and remember to review.**

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_Abe: "I never got to tell you how I felt."_

_Nuala: "Give me your hand." _

_-sighs-_

_Nuala: "It's beautiful."_

-"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"

**Chicago General Hospital; September, 1918**

**EPOV**

When I looked back on those careless days, I often wondered if I knew what was happening to me. Did I know that the simple cough wasn't just a simple cough? Did I know that my father had hidden his own illness from us? Did I know my mother would also hide from me? Did I know that one day I would close my eyes and wake up to a roaring fire in my throat and an ache all over my body?

And when I wondered, I knew the answer: yes.

It wasn't a mystery that the Spanish Flu was rampaging across the nation. Born out of filth and pestilence, the disease left no one untarnished. Already, there were towns half empty and Chicago was soon to become one of them, I was sure. Refugees from infected towns had flocked here and told of the symptoms. We were not ignorant of what was to come.

"I am going to die." I said to no one. It was as simple as that. There was no use in fighting the truth.

I felt a soft hand circle around my mine.

"Don't talk like that." Charlotte said. I groaned.

"You shouldn't be here. You'll get sick." I moaned. I didn't try to move or open my eyes; the pain was just bearable if I stayed still.

"Nonsense." She shot back.

"But it's true."

She sighed and let go of my hand. I heard the legs of her chair screech back on the tile floor and winced. Even the softest sound was enough to make my head ring.

"Is it worse today?" She asked. I felt a wet cloth across my forehead. The cold was welcome and I managed to turn my head a fraction of an inch towards her.

"Yes, just a little. Nothing I can't manage." The effect was somewhat ruined as another hacking spell overtook my lungs. Hot, warm blood spilled into my mouth and she put a cup under my mouth to spit into.

"Liar." She muttered. "Edward?" She began. Her voice worried me. Something had happened.

"Yes?" I prompted, my hand sneaking to find her hand again. She sighed and touched my palm with her fingertips. Even just a simple touch was a comfort to me.

"Your father died this morning. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you." Her voice caught in her throat and wet tears dropped onto my hand. I felt a fist clench around my heart and tears of my own dripped down my cheeks.

"And mother?" I asked.

"She's still fighting it. For your sake, she says." Charlotte fell to sobbing and placed her forehead on my hand. "Please, don't die, Edward. I won't be able to stand being so alone." She begged me. My fingers traced her hairline and buried themselves into her hair.

"You cannot ask me that. You know it will happen." I said, my voice as firm as I could manage it. "Charlotte, love, look at me." I said. I summoned every once of strength in my body and lifted my eyelids. The bright sunlight pierced through the windows and blinded me. I squinted and saw the outline of Charlotte's head: unwashed brown hair, face smeared with makeup and tears running through the rouge on her cheeks.

"You look terrible." I said, raising a hand to brush against the deep circles under her eyes. "You haven't been sleeping." She shook her head.

"I just…I don't know, I just don't want you to be alone." She said.

"Your wife hasn't left your side for near on a week, Mr. Mason." Doctor Cullen chimed in, his shoes making a soft tap on the floor. "I've all but given up on trying to make her eat or sleep." The slim man leaned over me, gently pushing Charlotte out of the way. He blocked the sunlight and cast his face into shadow. "Open." He ordered.

I opened my mouth and heard him hiss.

"Worse." He muttered under his breath. Charlotte gasped, but said nothing. Dr. Cullen sighed and stood back upright. "I'm sorry, but there's really nothing we can do." His voice was heavy with sadness. As a doctor, it must be so hard to admit that there was no hope left. I imagined he had to say that to many a man, woman and child in the last month. "Try to keep him comfortable, will you?" He asked Charlotte. She nodded and he scurried over to the next bed.

My eyes closed again and for a very long while we sat in silence. There was nothing to be said.

Charlotte hummed under her breath, a song we had heard at the theater a few weeks ago. Ever since we had started being on better terms, she had wanted to spend more time with me.

"_Think of me. Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye._" I sang softly. "_Remember me, once in a while, please promise me you'll try. When you find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free, if you ever find a moment spare a thought for me." _My eyes managed to open again and I saw a pair of blue eyes, swimming tears, right above my own. "Do not cry for me, love." I whispered, reaching up to touch her cheek. "I am happy that I won't have to worry about you being left all alone." Another tear dripped down her cheek and I wiped it away with my thumb.

"But I don't want you to leave. I never want you to leave. You're the best friend I've ever had." She sobbed.

"I know, my love. And you are the best woman I have ever met in my life. If there is such a thing as heaven, I shall be sure to keep an eye on you." I laughed as best I could. I didn't want to risk another coughing fit. A soft giggle escaped Charlotte's mouth through the tears and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, careful not to move me too much. It hurt to sit still yet alone move. She buried her face into my neck and I felt warm wetness against my skin.

"What happens to me is of no consequence. Like I said, at least I'll have something to do when I'm dead. I bet most people never get that privilege." I laughed again. Her fingers twisted into my shirt at the word 'dead'. "Oh, please, we're all going to die, I may as well start now." Her shoulders shook with the force of the sobs she was holding back for my benefit.

"_We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea. But if you can still remember, stop and think of me._" I sang in her ear. "_Think of all the things we've shared and seen. Don't think about the way things might have been. Think of me, think of me waiting silent and resigned. Imagine me trying too hard to put you from my mind. Recall those days. Look back on all those times. Think of the things we'll never do. There will never be a day when I won't think of you._" I fell into a coughing spasm near the end, but I thought I got my point across.

Charlotte dried her eyes on the hem of her shawl and nodded. Her hands shook in mine and I gave them a soft squeeze.

"I do not fear death, my love. It is but another adventure to me." I said. She smiled and kissed my forehead.

"You shall not die, Edward. The world would be a very sorry place without you in it." She whispered against my skin. A hot fever was working its way around my body, so much so that it felt as if I were on fire.

"Forgive me, but I doubt that. Life isn't this uncomfortable, even at its worst." I gasped.

"Edward?" She asked. Her voice had raised at least half an octave. I scrambled to reach for her hand again, not realizing that I had never let it go. My body ached right to my core and I felt a cold sweat dribble down my forehead. "Edward?" Charlotte asked again, her voice a high squeak.

"You mustn't…" I gasped, fighting not let her know how much it hurt to speak. "You mustn't miss me. You'll be miserable if you do. Go on. Forget me, forget all of this."

"Don't talk like that." Charlotte sobbed. Her hands grabbed onto my shoulders and started to shake me. "Don't you DARE talk like that!" A couple salty tears dripped onto my lips and it took a moment for me to realize that they were my own.

"I love you, Charlotte." I cried. Her face was blurry through my tears but the anguish in her eyes was all too clear. "I will always love you."

I felt my eyes roll back into my head and I saw no more.

**CPOV**

I screamed. I didn't know what else to do.

I had known in my heart that I would loose Edward, but now, with our separation at my feet I couldn't bear it.

Perhaps that was why Andrew didn't say goodbye when he left me all those months ago. Perhaps he knew I would have died right then and there and he knew he wouldn't be able to stand it much more than I could.

My arms looped around Edward's waist and I dug my head into his chest.

"Come back. You've got to come back." I sobbed. His heart raced under my ear and the sweat from his fever stuck to my skin. _He'll get better._ I tried to tell myself. _He will. You'll see._

A steady stream of tears was still snaking its way down Edward cheeks and I lifted my head to kiss them away.

"My dearest friend," I whispered in his ear. "I shall miss you more than you shall ever know. But I will not let you be taken like this. Trust me, if it's the last thing I do, you shall live to see another day." I promised and gave him one last kiss on his forehead. My hysteria had faded into cold determination. I knew what to do and I knew how I was going to do it.

Doctor Cullen was coming back from the basement. He had been to the morgue today, probably with Edward's father. His eyes seemed to darken when he saw me but he said nothing. I looked back at Edward once more, trying not to have this image of him be the one I would carry with me the rest of the my life. I squeezed his hand and rose from my seat.

Doctor Cullen did not move when I walked towards him. He flinched only once but didn't look up. My feet quickened their pace and I felt my hands clench into fists. Before I could stop myself I was running like a Banshee and had grabbed Doctor Cullen's shirt collar. I thrust him against the wall with a loud clang.

"You will listen to me." I hissed. There was a power in my voice that I hadn't know I had possessed. "You will do as I say. You are going to save my husband, Doctor Cullen. You are going to turn him into a vampire and you are going to take care of him, is that understood?" For a moment, I could see a spark of real fear in his eyes. I must have looked insane to him, but it was working to my advantage.

"You would curse him to that?" He asked when he found his voice. "You would make him one of us? Why?"

"Because he hasn't lived yet. He thinks he has, but he doesn't know." I said.

"And?"

I paused. Why did I want this for him? Immortal life, to have to feed on blood, most would call that a curse. But it wasn't. Not for him.

"Because he deserves a happy ending, Doctor Cullen and I can not give it to him any other way." I sighed. My fingers uncurled from the white cotton and returned to my side. We said nothing for a moment and yet I felt the vampire's eyes studying me.

"No."

"What?" I asked.

"No. He wouldn't want that for you. He wouldn't want you living your life knowing that he was out there somewhere, yearning for you." Doctor Cullen said. "I can't do it. I won't do it."

"But you want to. I can see it in your eyes." I said. "Surely you must be lonely, Carlisle." I said under my breath. "Surely you just want someone- "

"Enough." He barked. "You have said your goodbyes, Mrs. Mason. Go home." He said. There was a pain in his eyes. He knew that I was right and he didn't like it. But he was determined to reject me and who was I to deter him?

"Fine. Have it your way." I whimpered, sweeping past him and down the hall, past the reception and out the double doors. It was late afternoon and the sun was low in the sky. Andrew was waiting for me back home, had been for days now that I thought about it. I had left him a not explaining and telling him that I would be at the hospital and I hoped he didn't think I was ignoring him.

I sighed and walked home, every step slower than the one before it. It was dark when I got there and a lamp shone from behind my window pane. Andrew pressed his nose against the glass and was gone in a flash, opening the door before I could bring myself to open it. I was drawn into the cool arms and ran back up to my room in a blink.

"I thought you were never coming back." Andrew sobbed into my neck. "I thought you had left or gotten sick or had…or had…" I ran my fingers through his hair and shushed him.

"I'm fine, my love. Honest. Not even a cough." I whispered in his ear. That seemed to please him and his shoulders relaxed.

"Where's your family?" He asked. "They're not with you? Are they still at the hospital with Edward's father?" He didn't know. How could he?

"Andrew it wasn't just Edward's father that was sick." I said slowly. "It was all of them. All three of them one after the other." My voice cracked. "They're dead or they're going to be." I thought of Edward shaking in his bed and a small cry left my lips.

"All of them. Even him?" Andrew asked, his voice faint. I nodded. "Oh, Charlotte." He wrapped himself around me and cradled me against his chest. "I'm so sorry. God, I'm so sorry." He whispered in my ear. He reached behind me and the lamp turned off, replaced with a few candles. The darkness was welcome.

I felt…nothing. My body and heart felt numb. But it hurt more than if I had been on fire. My tears ran dry for my body had no more to produce. My heart ached every now and again, when I reminded myself that I would never see them again. Would never hear the playful exchanges between my in-laws. Would never hear Edward talk of his youth. Would never feel those warm and loving arms around my shoulders. I would never have a family again, not as I had.

"I have you." I said to myself. "I have love and a life and soon all this will be but an unhappy memory." Andrew buried his face in my hair. Had he had to see his family die? Or was the thought that they had, never knowing what had become of him, enough of a torment?

"Yes." He whispered. I jumped. He almost never answered my thoughts, though he had long ago confessed to me that he could hear them. "I know how you feel. When I was turned I knew I could not go back to my family and I knew they would never know. There was a funeral and everything. My sisters and mother cried so hard, I thought they would flood the Thames. I have never felt so desperately alone than I had in that moment and it kills me to know that that is what you feel now." He said.

My eyes softened and I raised a hand to caress his cheek.

"We must not talk of such things. We have each other now and the world at our feet. They would not want us to wallow in sorrow, my love." I assured him, pressing little kisses to his forehead. "I love you more deeply than you shall ever know." I whispered. He chuckled under his breath and pulled his head back to look at me.

"You shall have to prove that to me soon enough, my love." He smiled and kissed my lips with such love and tenderness it made my heart ache. How did he _do_ that? When he pulled back he glanced over at the packed suitcases that lay in the corner. "Tomorrow?" He asked. I nodded and snuggled into his arms.

"Yes. Tomorrow."

* * *

**Two more chapters. Two more chances to tell me how you feel and what you think. I hope you make the most of them.**

**Until we meet again,**

**the3rdbronte  
**


	41. Lost

**Hello again. It has been quite a long time since we have met. My sinceriest apologies. Do not forget, this is one of your last chances to review before this story is complete. Please do, I beg you. **

* * *

Donna: -picks up Rose's shirt- I knew it. I'm not the first. How many women have you abducted!

The Doctor: -pauses- That's my friends.

Donna: Well, where's she gone? Out for a space walk?

The Doctor: I lost her.

Donna: Well you can hurry up and loose me!

-pauses-

Donna: How do you mean "lost"?

_"Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion"_

* * *

**April 1922; Chicago, Illinois**

**APOV**

Three and a half years would pass between the Masens' deaths and that of Charlotte. The Spanish flu would finish ravaging the world and medicine would finally put it in its place. The world would throw itself into war and reemerge broken and dismantled.

Charlotte's grief, that was so subdued at first, had been terrible when the events of the previous weeks had caught up with her. She did not speak to me or any other for months. She just kind of laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, silent tears running down her cheeks. It felt terrible, knowing that there was nothing I could do or say to ease her pain.

I had not witnessed my family's deaths, save for my elder sister Rebecca, God rest her soul. I knew they were dead for centuries, but the simple knowledge of something was quite different than watching it happen.

We moved away from Chicago, away from the Midwest, away to the country of Maine. It was a nice little place, our home, straight out of a fairy tale: all bricks and wood and cosy as anything. Plenty of wood for me to hunt in and a nice little town to buy anything Charlotte would need.

Seven months passed and at last Charlotte spoke to me.

"May I go home?" She asked on some idle Tuesday. Her tears had stopped.

"You are home, sweetheart." I said, confused and more than a little shock.

"I mean my old home, Andrew." She said.

"Whatever for?" I asked, crossing the room to sit at the edge of her bed. Her eyes turned to mine and I gasped at the depth of emotion and longing in them.

"To say goodbye." She said. With what seemed like great difficulty, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Please, my love. I have to let go of him." She begged, reaching to take one of my hands. I smiled sadly and nodded.

We were back to Chicago within the week. She never let go of my hand the whole time we where there and more than once, I thought she was going to ask to go back. But she was stubborn to the last and I knew she would go through with whatever it was she was planning. Sweat dripped from her palms, despite the cold of my touch, and still she did not speak until the third day after out arrival.

"Can we go to the cemetery where they're buried?" She asked me. Again, her eyes held such a fierce longing that I didn't have the heart to deny her.

We went on her birthday, April twelfth, 1919. It was bleak, to say the least; puffs of gray clouds lined the skies on all sides. Quite fitting for the task Charlotte had assigned herself. Charlotte and I had left the city long before the Masen's had been put into the ground.

"I know it shouldn't hurt as much as it does," she had said, "but I would very much like to live out the rest of my life with their smiling faces in my mind than with the images of them dead, pale and gaunt." Again, I did not have the heart to deny her.

When we arrived at the old Doyle cemetery, a small private burial ground on the outskirts of the city, I felt out of place at once. With her dark hair and plum dress, Charlotte seemed to blend right in with the gothic decor of mausoleums and gargoyles. But I, on the other hand, felt alone; an island unto myself. Perhaps it was the knowledge that I would never be allowed a place in this human ceremony of burial, or perhaps it was the morbidity of it all; I never did know for sure.

I felt Charlotte's hand slip out of mine and the warmth of her body left my side. She drifted like a ghost across the unseasonable frost. Three tombstones laid in a row, unremarkable save for a single, live rose on each. Charlotte stopped right at the center and fell to her knees.

"Hello, Edward." She whispered. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Or perhaps it's been no time at all to you, I'm sure I don't know." She laughed under her breath. I was reminded of when she ahd come to our clearing to say goodbye all those months ago. I hoped Edward wasn't going to pull a _Hamlet_ and appear out of thin air.

"I know there was a time and place for goodbyes a long time ago, but you know how I am: never seeing the proper thing to be done before it's too late." Charlotte sighed. "Well, to make a long story short, I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry. I never...I never realized how much it must have hurt to walk around and see me and not say anything." Her voice hitched up and I was sure tears would be starting any moment. Still, I did not move. She would say when she would need me.

"I often wonder what my life would have been like with you. I imagine it would have gone something like this:

"We would have met and married just the same. The falling in love part would have been a bit more accelerated and so much more romantic." She sighed. "Your mother would have been thrilled. And perhaps...after a while...we'd have a child or two. A boy and a girl: Kathrine Elizabeth and Edward Jacob. You would go to war and come back a hero, just like you planned, and we'd five each other merry hell until we died." The ghost of a smile broke through her sadness at the thought. "But alas, 'twas not to be." She sighed.

"It was never meant to happens and I think that's all for the best." Another faint smile danced across her lips. "I'm sure you're happy, wherever you are and that's enough for me. And despite everything I'm sure you and Andrew have come to think, I'm quite happy here and very grateful. It's a lovely, quiet life and much more than I deserve." Charlotte turned to me and smiled, her eyes lit up with joy. I felt the weight of her sorrow on my heart lift.

"I shall miss you, my dearest friend, but life goes on, as it should, as it always has." She smiled and a single, happy tear snaked its way down her cheek. She rose, her head bowed. "I don't think we shall ever meet again, Edward." She whispered. "But you shouldn't worry. I'm perfectly well protected and very loved. This is yours." Charlotte took off her velvet gloves and slid her wedding ring off her finger. Her trembling hands dug a small hole in the ground and placed the glittering jewel inside it. "You shall need it for when someone finally captures your heart." She smiled one last time and drew her veil down over her eyes.

"Goodbye, my friend. For the last time."

* * *

Charlotte and I returned to our house in the forest the next day, freezing to the bone, but never the less cheerful. We had spent her birthday traveling back by train, but she didn't seem to mind it at all. She chittered about all the things she wanted us to do and see, hardly taking the time to pause for breath.

She talked of traveling to far off places and seeing anything and everything. She wanted to go back to my homeland, to see where I came from. I told her it was all built over now, but she insisted. She always did know how to be stubborn.

When we got home at last, the gray clouds that had seemed to settle around the place were gone. The sun shone a little brighter, the birds sang a bit sweeter and Charlotte, having traded her long, dark dress for a light blue one, never shed a tear.

"You know, I never realized now beautiful it is here." She laughed, smiling back at me and leaning against the door. "But," she began, "a bit of tender loving care would do this home a world of good." She smiled and leaned her head back against our front door. "What do you think, my love? A couple of roses and daises? A bit of a vegetable patch?" She asked. I smirked and leaned down so that my lips were at her ear.

"I think it can wait." I purred. Charlotte giggled and opened the door behind her. Her fingers wrapped around the collar of my shirt and all but dragged me inside with her.

"My thoughts exactly." She growled.

* * *

Another six months passed before I worked up the courage to ask Charlotte to marry me. From the exuberence of her affirmation, one would have thought the world was ending.

The wedding was a small affair, just us and a kind old grandma we found at the market who had kindly agreed to witness for us. Charlotte had offered to pay for something fancy, but I had denied her, for once. I didn't want to feel indebted to her for anything, aside from giving me my life back, of course.

We had a honey moon "planned" but considering we couldn't bring ourselves to get out of bed, much less get dressed, we gave up on the idea. Moans and whimpers and 'I love you's became a language for us. Time either passed like the wind, or didn't pass at all. We spoke of everything and nothing; of the past and its losses and gains; of ourselves and how we had changed; but mostly we talked of the future, our future.

When my wife and I were together, it was impossible to envision a life without her. It was impossible to imagine that time would pass and wrinkles would embed into her skin, gray hairs would sprout on her head and one day, perhaps one day not so far away, I would loose her. She would..._die._ I flinched at the mere thoughts of the word, but said nothing to Charlotte.

I knew she longed to become a vampire, to join my life forever. But everytime she hinted at the act of her transformation, everything she offered her soft, waiting flesh to my mouth, I couldn't do it. I couldn't make myself taste her blood, sweet and hot in my mouth. If I was honest with myself, it was because I was afraid. Afraid that she wouldn't want me afterwards. Afraid that she would turn into the monster in my nightmares. Afraid for anyone that would get in her way.

We moved to New York City when she was nineteen. We never had any trouble with affording things like our apartment and her dresses, since she was the only heir to the small fortune the Masens had left behind. It was a small sacrifice that I had to take longer trips for hunting, but it was fine. It seemed to make Charlotte happy and that was all that mattered to me.

Her twentieth birthday had come and went before she broke me down. I came home one day to find all her bags packed and her sitting on the bed, her arms crossed over her chest.

"No." She said the second I opened my mouth. "You don't talk. It's my turn now." She hissed.

"What's wrong with me, Andrew?" She asked. "What did I do? What _didn't_ I do?" I said nothing. Charlotte wasn't talking sense at all. She sighed. "What's I'm asking is is there any particular reason why you insist on making me feel like you don't want to be with me forever? I know you always you want to wait for my transformation, but still. I'm only twenty and I can already feel the clock ticking away. Every second I get closed to dying. Tomorrow, I'll be one day older. And sooner or later, Andrew, those tomorrows are going to run out."

There was a silence between us for ten whole mintues.

"Yes." I said at last. "Yes, you're right. I know about everything you're saying, but, love you know me. I can't...I wouldn't be able to..." I stammered.

"Then you can't complain when I'm old and dying. You can't say I never tried." She sighed and hauled a bag over her shoulder. "I don't want to make you watch me die, Andrew." She said, walking until she was level with me. "I love you too much." She reached up and brushed her fingers across my cheek. She gave me a small smile, but her eyes betrayed the sacrifice she knew she was making.

I felt her touch drift away from my skin and the soft click of her shoes on the wood floors.

"Wait." I said on instinct. She stopped and her skirts swished as she turned. "You're sure you want this? Are you sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you want to be with me...forever?" I asked, not turning around.

"You know I am, Andrew." She said. "Are you?"

I looked over my shoulder and felt the burn of tears begin in my eyes. With three strides I met her in the doorway. I reached down to grasp her left hand and lifted it to my lips. The cool metal of her wedding ring reminded me of how much I wanted and needed the woman it belonged to.

"Yes. A thousand times, yes." I whispered. She smiled and closed the door before throwing herself into my arms. Not a bad way to spend forever if you asked me.

* * *

We settled on her twenty-first birthday. She was determined never to be older than I was and it wasn't that big of deal. What was a few months compared to eternity? We waited as long as we could to move back to the house in Maine. It was secluded enough so that she could retain her control when she was new and still left plenty of space for me to train her.

I soon got used to accounting for things like that. The thought of my wife bieing one of my kind was not so adverse as it had once been. It was now a necessary evil, something had to be endured to reap the benefits it would cause.

Charlotte busied herself with tending to the house. She grew roses and daisies in our front lawn, just like she had said, and a wide, abundant vegetables patch grew in the back yard, by the woods. We were almost never disturbed by others of my kind, and those few times we had had been relatively harmless.

One male, Adrian, and two females, Samantha and Rebecca, all French, had come through not long before the due date for her change. They had been nothing but understanding and had not pressed for my motivations. They did not want to cause trouble, they said, and were just passing through. Samantha, the one with the long, cornsilk hair, had been cautious about my plans to change Charlotte.

"There are others behind us, monsieur," she had whispered. "Others not so kind as us. They would do you great harm, monsieur. They would take great pleasure in it." She glanced to Charlotte, who was trying to explain the use of vegetables to Adrian and Rebecca. "They would kill her, monsieur, without a thought. Please be careful." She begged. I nodded and they went on their way.

Winter passed without much sunlight and Charlotte was kept inside most of the time, sitting in front of the fire. We slept on a rug of bear fur in front of the fire grate, a thick quilt between us. She was so cold already, I could not bear to make it worse. Only once was I ever afraid that I would loose her. There was a blizzard in mid-January that was so bad, I couldn't get to town to get food and water for her. Even I was powerless to get firewood and at least keep her warm. I wrapped her in as many furs and blankets as I could and tried not to touch her. She look so small and frail that I was afraid the simplest touch would kill her. For the first time in two years, I felt a fear so immediate and real that I knew her change could wait no longer.

Spring came at last and with it, the sun. We would play in the April showers until dusk, dancing like two crazed loons. Her flowers bloomed in the yard and the first peek of vegetables began to arrive.

Finally, the eve of her transformation arrived. I could smell the adrenaline coursing through her veins and for the first time, smiled at the coming tide. Forever was coming sooner than I had thought.

I had promised myself that I would hunt before I changed her, so that I wouldn't be so tempted to drain her dry. It was a calm night, no clouds to be seen and the bears were starting to wake up from hibernation. I fed until I thought I would burst and began to stroll back towards the house. I ran a hand across a tree and froze.

There was something different about this tree than when I had last seen it. I leaned in and inhaled. A sweet, sickly scent of another vampire filled my nose. Male, nearly as old as myself and hungry.

_ANDREW!_

My head snapped around as I heard Charlotte scream for me with her thoughts.

_ANDREW, PLEASE HELP ME!!_

I ran. I ran with no thought to the fact that she was probably already dead. I ran with no thought to the fact that I would probably soon be as well. The forest fell away beneath my feet as if I were flying and soon, the cosy home came into view. A lamp was lit inside and could see Charlotte crouching on our bed, trying to get away from something. A shape pounced on her and a blind fury overtook me. Streaks of red blurred my vision and the door fell away into splinters beneath my shoulder.

I felt two arms encircle my shoulders and a mess of red hair fell into my face.

"Hello, Andy darling. Long time, no see." Victoria cackled, running her tongue along my cheek. "It was so wonderful of you to leave us this little welcome snack for us." My eyes wandered to find Charlotte laying flat on her back on our bed, her one arm that wasn't pinned down reaching out for me. A slim male was hovering over her, one arm around her waist, the other supporting the side of her neck. His hair covered most of his face, but I knew his name.

"JAMES!" I screamed. "JAMES LET HER GO!" He didn't even look up at me, just kept right on drinking. She was going so pale, I knew she wouldn't last. "PLEASE! SHE'S MINE!" I cried desperately. He sighed and turned his head around to look at me. His eyes glowed a dull red.

"Now, Andrew, what's one girl between such old friends as us?" He laughed softly. Charlotte managed to lift herself up a little bit and I thrashed against Victoria's choke hold. Her hand shook as she reached for me again.

"Andrew...pl-," A small snap and her whole body went limp. James took his hand away from her neck and whiped the remains of her blood away from her wound.

"Such a pity. She would have been ravishing." He said offhandedly. "Victoria, let's go." Victoria whined.

"Can we take him with us. Put him in a cage and let me play with him?" She cackled, running her teeth along my neck, along the scar she made the night she changed me.

"No."

"Fine. Goodbye Andy dear. I'll miss you." She cooed and released me. I fell to the ground and they were gone. I crawled to the bed and grabbed Charlotte's hand. Hot, acid tears dripped down my cheeks, but I hardly noticed the pain. That was nothing compared to how my heart felt.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to her, though she could hear no more. "I'm sorry for everything." I fell to my sobs, letting my sorry take me over like a wave takes over the sand.

I did not resurface.


	42. The End

**Hello, lovies. I know I'm shoving so much on you with the last chapters so close together, but I have to get this out. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I'm sorry for the homo-erotic undertones between Andrew and Edward, I hope it isn't completely obvious I kept wanting to make Edward just pounce on Andy. It's become quite a habit of mine to think up stories where they are together. Like _together_ together. That's right, you know what I mean. And who knows, maybe I'll post it one day, but right now I think I'm just going to write it for myself. A word on the quote: I was listening to the Wicked soundtrack one day. In one of the situations I shoved Andy and Ed into, they became the kings of the Forks High School theater department and put on a gender bended version of the musical, with Edward as Glinda and Andrew as Elphaba. I couldn't not share that with you. It almost made me cry. Now, for the last time, enjoy.**

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* * *

**"Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But, because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

_-"For Good" by The Cast of Wicked  
_

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* * *

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**Present Day, Volterra Castle**

**EPOV**

Andrew laid his head down on the arm of his chair and let his eyes flutter closed. His lips moved a little and I craned to hear. He was singing, a soft lullaby.

_Somewhere, beyond the sea, she's there waiting for me. If I could fly like birds on high, and straight to her arms, I'll go sailing...sailing. _

"What happened next?" I asked him. He didn't seem to notice.

"She's going to be ravishing, you know." He said, not opening his eyes.

"Who?" I asked.

"Bella. If she's as beautiful as she is when she's human, then I can only imagine what she be like when she's changed." He mused. I felt my fists clench.

"Shut up. That's not funny. Bella's dead." I hissed. To my surprise, Andrew laughed under his breath. His eyes opened and glanced at me.

"Is she now?" He laughed. His dark eyes found mine and the edges of the world around me seemed to blur.

"Andrew?" I asked, my voice hitching up half an octave. "Andrew what are you doing?"

"Don't fight it, it'll just make it more uncomfortable." He said. He swung his legs down onto the floor and crossed so that he was kneeling in front of me. He reached up and placed the fingers of his right hand against my temple and the world went black.

"Andrew?" I asked in desperation.

"Shh, just relax. It's harder because you're being stubborn and blocking your mind." He chided gently. "Just let me in, okay? I have to show you something." I felt a soft prod at my mind. I chewed on my bottom lip. I had never had anyone so close to me before. _I_ was always the one who got to see all the gritty details, all the things that no one wanted to see. But I trusted him, however grudgingly. "Thank you." He said under his breath. The prod became harder and harder and broke through the veil of my mind.

The darkness began to fade in the exact center of my field of vision, spreading a bright light as it went. The light faded the more it spread and it was a dull gray when it encompassed the whole space. Stones began to arrange themselves on the ground. Bricks crawled up in columns and a ceiling. I felt Andrew's hand twitch and the image went blurry. He chuckled.

"What's the matter with me? You would think after five hundred years..." he laughed at himself. His fingers pressed harder and the image righted itself. Chairs and buildings began to solidify and people began appearing out of shadows. A woman chatted to another about her shopping. A man behind the bar was making a drink for a young woman. Her back was turned to me. I felt the sensation of walking and the vision changed. It moved with me.

Andrew's voice ordered a drink in the vision and pulled out a chair next to the girl. A hand reached out to place itself on her shoulder. She shrank away and pulled her hair over her shoulder so I couldn't see her face. A conversation ensued that was too low for me to understand. Andrew's words were slurred with an Italian accent and I could not see the girl's lips to read them.

I saw her shoulders tense and her hair flew as she turned around. I gasped when I saw her face.

"Bella." I moaned, longing to reach for her soft hair, to smooth the wrinkles forming between her eyebrows. I hoped that Andrew would allow me to hear her voice, but no such luck. I leaned forward to try to get closer to her and the vision disappeared. I frowned and didn't have enough time to catch myself before I fell.

Andrew squeaked as I collapsed on top of him and I heard him laugh at me.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked. I glared at him and drew myself back up off the floor.

"When was that?" I hissed.

"Two days ago." He said, not getting up.

"And you didn't-," I started.

"Would you have believed me?" He challenged. I froze. My fist ached to punch him in the face, but I couldn't bring myself to harm him. He looked down and away from me. He scooted back to the sofa and drew his legs up to his chest. "Are you really mad at me?" He muttered, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"No." I whispered, letting my head drop. "No, I would have done the same." I sighed and plopped down onto the ground next to him.

"You never said what happened after Charlotte died." I said. To my surprise, he didn't flinch.

"Nothing happened that you do not already know about. I came here, I asked to be killed and they refused. I have been here ever since." He sighed. "I hate it here." He said softly. "I hate that I can't let go and move on." His head dropped down onto my shoulder and his eyes closed again. "Thank you for staying with me, Edward. For letting me talk to you. It helped more than you shall ever know." A small smile played on his lips.

I laughed and held up my hand.

"Give me your hand." I said. "Show me." His eyes wandered up to my face and his own hand lifted to mirror mine. His fingers bent at the knuckles to slide into the space between my own. When our palms touched the world went black again. Nothing played out for my eyes to see, but I felt everything he wanted me to know in my heart.

There was pain, God, so much pain. More pain that any heart should be made to endure. I gave a small moan and felt my head drop onto his. The pain went for so long and cut so deep that I wasn't surprised that he had longed for some release from it. Death would have been so much more welcome than this. And then, as soon as I thought nothing would ever change, that the world would just keep going on in this fashion for the rest of time, a change occurred. The tiniest change, so tiny I almost didn't notice it. There, right in the very center of my heart, was hope.

"That's what you have given me Edward." Andrew whispered, giving me back my sight. "I had long given up on the world, but you...you have taught me to look at it anew." It took me a moment to realize that he was crying and let go of his hand to wipe the tears away.

"Come back with me." I spat out. His head jerked up.

"What?" He asked.

"My family would love to meet you and they wouldn't mind having one more person in the house. You don't take up much room. And I can't...I can't just _leave_ you here." I said. The thought of making him endure more of this torture was too much to even think about. I was as close to Andrew as I was to my own brothers. We were kindred spirits, a bond much like the one I shared with Alice. Freaks among freaks.

Andrew chewed on his lip before answering. "Edward, I don't know. I've never had a family and...they wouldn't like me." He sighed. I laughed.

"Of course they would. Esme and Carlisle love everyone. Besides, if you know Jasper like you say you do, he'll set anyone straight that doesn't like you." I laughed. Andrew smiled ruefully and sighed. His hand lifted once more and his palm pressed against my cheek.

"There is so much more in store for you, Edward. I've seen it." He whispered. Small flashes of visions flitted through my mind: Bella accepting a ring from my hand, Jasper and Emmett play-fighting in front of the wolves, an odd little girl with big brown eyes. I smiled and lifted Andrew's hand away from my face.

"I think it'll be more fun to figure it out for myself. I didn't see you, though." I said.

"I haven't made the decision to come or not. Once I do, the future could change either way." He shrugged. "But you wouldn't miss me." He said. "You'll be alright." A smile, a real, big smile lit up his face. He looked so much younger to me, the worry lines around his eyes gone and the cares he carried invisible to the naked eye.

"I have taught you all that I can." He sighed, getting up on his feet. His fingers curled under my chin so that my face titled up to his. "You only get one more shot at this, Edward. You know that, right?" He asked me.

"Yes." I said "Yes, I know." _What was that one movie? The one with Sean Connery as the spy? Ah, yes "You Only Love Twice"_"But why won't you come with me?" I asked. "Come and live again. Travel if you like. Walk in the dust." He laughed out loud and shook his head.

"I have lived that life before, Edward, and while I do miss it, I'm...afraid." He muttered. "I don't want to curse someone else to Charlotte's fate. My heart can only break so many times." I sighed and stood up.

"You can't stay here. You'll die and then who will I be able to ask for advice from?" I said. It started out as a joke, but fell flat. "Please." I begged. "Please, I can't do this on my own."

Andrew's eyes softened. "You have to, Edward. I can't help you with everything. I told you my story and now my time in your life is over."

"And I get no choice in this?" I hissed. "I'm not the only one in my family that would benefit from you. Carlisle hasn't had anyone his own age around ever. Esme would love you as soon as she saw you. Emmett would like a friend to talk to about Rose. Speaking of Rose, maybe she'd learn some humility from you. Alice might remember you and Jasper would be happy to see you back, I'm sure of it." I insisted. "And Bella would love you. She'd love to be able to talk to someone who's gone through what her and I are."

"Edward, I'm a coward. I don't know how to live anymore. I need...I need to live through you, alright?" He said. "I need to make sure that you don't end up like me. Old, alone and so full of sorrow." He placed his hands on either side of my face and fed his desperation into me, trying to get me to understand. "There is no place for me in the world anymore. My life is over. But yours, yours is just starting." Surprising even myself, I wrapped my arms around Andrew's waist, pulling him into a hug. He laughed softly returned my embrace.

"I won't forget you, Edward Cullen." He sighed into my hair. "You have made me feel more alive than I have felt in a hundred years."

"And I won't forget you, Andrew Ravenwood." I promised. His chest shook as he laughed again.

"That's all I can ask for." I felt a pair of lips press against the top of my head and Andrew released. His eyes darted to the west wall and he laughed. "Alice is looking for you again. I think it best you don't keep her waiting." He said.

"Come with me to the door, at least. Just to get out of this room for a while." I said. He nodded and opened the door for me.

We walked down the darkened hallways, the dust only disturbed by our footfalls. I wondered how many had passed through Andrew's doors before me and smiled. How many people had he helped? How many had he saved? The elevator to the main floor went too slow for my liking and Andrew laughed at my fidgeting.

We were blinded by the sunlight from the glass windows of the Great Hall. There was no one there, save for a few pigeon. I almost wept for joy when I heard Alice arguing with the girl at the front desk.

"He's my brother! I _know_ he's here!" She whined. I smiled and took a step towards her. I felt the air stir beside me and suddenly, Andrew was gone. He stood against the far wall, a small smile gracing his face. I looked to the old wooden doors that led out into the city and back at him. Andrew raised two fingers to his forehead in salute and smiled his most dazzling smile. He nodded towards the doors.

_Go on._ He thought to me. I smiled waved and turned to the doors, pushing them open with both hands. Alice squealed and I heard the voice of my Bella call my name.

The Italian sun beat down on my face and I was deaf to the world save for two words, whispered in my ear by an old friend:

_Good luck._

_-The End-_


	43. Epilouge: The Man with No Face

_**Acknowledgments**  
_

_Thank you to my Mother, for having the good sense not to interrupt me and for reading my mistakes._

_Thank you to Laura and Jo, who have been with me all the way home._

_Thank you to my wonderful visual aides: _

_For Andrew: Gerard Way and Adam Lambert_

_For Charlotte: Leighton Meester and Demi Lovato_

_Thank you to the wonderful bands that inspire me to no end:_

_-My Chemical Romance_

_-The Script_

_-The Used_

_-Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim for their fantastic musicals_

_-The Cast of "Moulin Rouge!"_

_-Yiruma_

_-Nickelback_

_-Amy Lee_

_-The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

_and_

_-Sting_

_And, finally, a great big hug and thank you to you, the gentle reader. I am sure we shall meet again one day. _

_Until we meet again,_

_MonSangEstMonEncre_

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_Epilogue: The Man with No Face_

**Forks, Washington; Two Months Later**

**EPOV**

I sat at my piano, composing for the first time in forever. Bella was asleep upstairs in my room. It had not been easy to leave her at first, given that I had only just got her back from the jaws of death, but it got easier as the weeks passed. Alice was a great help, looking after her whenever I could not.

I hummed along with the keys I pressed, holding my tongue between my teeth. I didn't know what I was doing; just pressing keys and seeing what came out of it. Soon, random notes became a melody and a melody became a rhythm. Esme paused a couple of rooms over and I heard the smile in her thoughts.

_Who's it for, Edward? It sounds beautiful. Sad, but beautiful._ She thought.

"I don't know. It's not happy enough for Bella, and it doesn't sound like her besides." I said out loud. She could have heard me across a baseball field, much less a house. I

_Well, tell me when you figure it out. I would very much like to hear it when it's done._ She offered hopefully. I smiled, though she couldn't see it. I would feel bad for lying to her later, but I didn't have enough space in my head to worry about that.

I knew exactly who the song was about. The compassion, the sadness, the hope…it just oozed Andrew. I sighed and sat back against the wall. I could get the man out of my head, quite an achievement when I couldn't read his mind. The whole plane ride home, when Bella had been watching me, I had thought of him. I was stupid to just leave him, but he had said that he didn't care.

Maybe…maybe he didn't want to be my friend. I flinched at the thought. Andrew was the only person I had ever met that _got_ me. He knew what it felt like to be me and he didn't feel sorry for me. I would have given anything for him to be at the house. Bella hadn't exactly said no to my proposal of marriage, but she hadn't said yes. I needed someone to talk to about it that wouldn't laugh at me. Well, Andrew probably would laugh at me, but at least he would understand.

_Why so down, little brother? _Jasper's concerned drawl came from his and Alice's room. Alice was out shopping…again. You would think it would have gotten old by now, but noooooooooo, not for Alice.

"It's nothing, Jasper. Go back to reading _Ulysses_." I said.

_You miss someone? _He guessed, not going away. _Someone close?_ I hated when he could be intuitive.

"Yes, if you must know." I sighed.

_Bella?_

"No." I said. "No, I know she's here for the long haul."

_Is it who you're writing that song for?_ He asked.

"Yes."

_Tell me about him._ He said. I didn't ask how he knew it was a man that missed. He just knew those kinds of things.

"He's a most remarkable man. He understands me, Jasper. It's not something I run across everyday." I said.

_No, I guess not. _He sighed. A little bit of hurt colored his tone and I let out a sigh.

"Aside from you, Jazzy." I teased, my voice sickly sweet. He laughed under his breath.

_Well, I'll leave you to your thoughts, Edward. Bella is getting restless, just so you know. I think she might wake up soon. I'm no psychic, so don't take my word for it. _He laughed.

Leaving to my thoughts was always an empty promise with my family, but I appreciated the thought. I had gotten used to the silence in Andrew's presence and often found myself missing the peace and quiet of his company. I was thrilled to be back with my family, but the thought of him rotting away in his room all alone made me feel sick to my stomach. He was too good for that.

_Okay, I lied._ Jasper interjected. I growled in frustration.

"What? You're laughing at me, why?" I asked. He was laughing away in his head like a parent who knew something about their child they didn't.

_Edward, I think you have a...man crush._ He laughed. I felt my fingers close around a vase and smash the glass in frustration. _It doesn't mean you're in love with him, you just find something in him to admire. Calm down, I wasn't calling you gay._ He said. I felt a wave of calm wash over me and welcomed the relief. He was right; I found a lot of things in Andrew to admire. His courage, his compassion, the way he found a way to smile through his tears.

I snatched a couple of sheets of composition paper off the little side table by the piano and scribbled down the song. It was slow and sad and happy all at the same time, just like the man it was about. Just as I was finishing up filling in the last note, Alice burst through the door, arms laden with bags. Her eyes were wild and her hair was askew. Her thoughts were so frazzled that even I couldn't follow them.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I asked her as calmly as I could manage. She said nothing, just stared, her eyes glassed over. Her vision was blurry and choppy. There was a person involved, a man…a man with no face.

"Edward, someone's coming. I don't know who he is, but I don't like it." She said, her voice thick with panic.

"Alice, it's only one person and you're not sure if they're a threat to us or not. For all we know, he could be a harmless human." I said.

"No, he's a vampire and very powerful. I can't tell if he means us harm, but he's definitely made the decision to come to our house." She said in a rush. Her panic had caught up with Jasper and he came down the stairs running.

"Well, don't just stand there, do something!" He said, his voice raising at least half an octave. All the noise had alerted the rest of the family and they too came running. Esme had woken Bella and was carrying her down at a human pace.

"Edward, what's going on?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"I don't know, love." I cooed, taking her in my arms. "But there's only one of him and seven of us."

"Eight." Bella protested. I ignored her.

Emmett's back stiffened and he turned towards the front door.

"Too late. He's here." He growled.

The doorbell rang.

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think murderers ring the doorbell." Bella offered. It rang again.

"Well, someone has to go answer it." Rosalie insisted. Everyone turned to look at me. The man on the doorstep heaved a sigh and rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Hello?" He called. "Anyone home?" I looked at all the others and the ushered me towards the door. Alice had taken Bella off my hands. I crossed the room in three strides and very slowly cracked open the door to take a peek at who was there. My mouth dropped and I opened the door all the way.

He was dressed in black skinny jeans and a long, leather overcoat. Combat boots adorned his feet. A pair of old fashioned aviator sunglasses were perched on his nose. A huge pack was thrown over his shoulder.

Andrew smiled and took his sunglasses off.

"Hey kids, did you miss me?"


End file.
